Not Your Average Avatar
by MarvelAssassin
Summary: Korra, busy attaining her title as Avatar, continues to protect the four nations. But what happened to the past lives she lost during her battle with Unalaq and Vaatu? Chosen to be the body for the Avatar's ancestors, Evelyn is tasked with the duty of helping Korra save the world- but is she really capable of handling such power?
1. Chapter 1

Hope you enjoy the first chapter! This is only an introduction to my story so it's only short but will hopefully give you an idea of what I'm writing about.

If you want a picture of what the main character looks like then take a peak at the cover image: enjoy :)

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Brown hair, blue clothes, tanned skin and glowing, white eyes. They stared into my very soul, ripped my subconscious apart from the inside and left my body limp and empty. The very definition of nightmares.

She floated, hovering with the wind howling around her as bolts of lightning thundered down onto the cold ground beneath my bare feet. I was tired, so tired that I no longer wanted to go on. With each second she drew closer and closer, the sky growing redder and redder, the dirt below sucking me downwards and the air itself starved my lungs.

I was dying, just like I had been almost every night for the past two years. I prepared for the darkness that would usually consume me and threaten my very being. I was ready for the wave of nothingness that would soon wash over me and, just as I predicted, it came.

Sitting up with a gasp, I clutched my chest in an attempt to calm my heart and refill my deprived lungs. With the back of my hand I wiped the sweat that soaked my forehead and drenched my clothes.

_Another one...Great._

It was almost morning, so trying to get back to sleep would have been utterly pointless. Instead, I showered, changed into my favourite green gown and set out to tame my unruly locks. I will gladly admit that I hated the way I looked. Compared to the other village spirits I was easily the odd one out. I had no additional arms, legs or eyes and, even compared to all of the different variations of my kind, I was still the wierd one out of them all.

I also lacked all of the special abilities. I couldn't grow in size or scream abnormally loud like Yuki could, and I can't shape shift into an emu whenever I fancy like Sui, but I was happy about myself nevertheless- no matter how different I was.

With my hair loose over my shoulders and my dress fixed right, I slipped into my black flats and readied a brown purse, preparing to leave and start work by the bakery.

"Evelyn!" Mother shouted, signalling that in any moment she was going to burst in. "Evelyn! Where are you, darling?"

_Shit._

It was a rare occurrence for either of my parents to call for me during the day so it was more than likely because I had done something I wasn't supposed to. I could had done **plenty** of things that would have peeved her off in the last week or so which ranged from kicking chickens to dyeing Sui green. I wasn't the most cautious of people which sadly meant that I got into a LOT of trouble. To others and outsiders, I was a kind and elegant with a dash of charming. To my family, well...that's a whole other story.

Flowing in, my father walked through my door and stood opposite me with Mother not far behind.

"Hi, sweetie," my mother smiled. I beamed back at her and nodded in greeting.

"What's the occasion?" I quipped since there was no way that they were both in my room for a random event.

"I know we don't usually do this, but, happy birthday darling," my father said with a smile. Behind, my other parent approached holding a small silver box in her outstretched hands.

Curious, I shuffled nearer; staring at the small blue ribbon bow perched on the top of the box. I took the gift from them and gave it a quick shake. _Too big to be a notebook, too small to be clothes and too heavy to contain pencils...hmm.._ I glanced up with a questioning yet intrigued look on my face.

"It's not a house key is it?" I joked.

I had been staying with my parents for a while now and it was nearing the time where I really should get my own place to stay. They hadn't ever been keen on the idea since the only houses were far out from the village and parting with their 'little girl' was 'a big step.' I think they were just way overprotective.

"You're nineteen this year and you deserve answers," my mother nodded and ignored my jesting, her smile wilting a little. They both seemed _off_: their happy faces deceived the sadness hidden within their golden eyes.

I stepped closer to the couple, eyeing them and the gift held in my soft palms. "What's wrong?" I asked, seeing straight passed the cheerful disguise. Every day I would see these people grinning and laughing, crying and chatting. I knew them well enough to know when something wasn't right.

Without an answer, Mother's features dropped into a defeated frown and she crushed her eyes closed. Taking a deep breath, she opened them again, only to release a single tear which rolled soundlessly over her porcelain skin.

"We have to let you go," she whispered, more tears beginning to fall. I looked up to my father who remained still and silent in his place, watching the scene unfold.

"You might want to sit for us to explain," he said, gesturing to the bed. I moved to follow his orders and rested by his side on the covers.

"What's going on?" I wondered, still unnerved by my distraught parents.

"We..made a deal..to keep you safe," he began. "You're different, Evelyn, we only wanted you to have a brighter future."  
To me, it was only babbling nonsense that didn't add up.

"But why do I have to leave now?"  
Looking over, I noticed that mother had ceased her crying and had moved to be by my father's side.

"We have a visitor for you," she continued from my dad, nodding to the doorway, "he will explain everything that we cannot."

The older woman stood from the bed and proceeded to bow to whomever had just entered, leaving me confused, curious and now slightly worried as to what was happening. Shortly after, father did the exact same and bowed, showing great respect to the stranger I was too afraid to even look at in my own home.

"You may rise." The figure stepped out from the darkness, the light bursting from the doorway when he moved. He continued to speak and he drew closer, becoming clearer with every step he took.

Draped over his broad shoulders, strange orange and yellow robes fell to the ground, sweeping the floor with each step. The man was a bald monk who proudly wore a large arrow tattooed onto his head. Carried alongside him, a long wooden staff clicked on the tiles below his feet. The blue lines that covered his skin amazed me, they seemed to disappear through his clothing and appear again on the back of his arms, and hands. The man himself was much younger than he sounded, appearing to be around twenty years old.

"My name is Aang and you are to come with me for now. I understand you must be curious, frightened or worried so you can ask as many questions as you'd like after the briefing. Vallah, do you have Evelyn's things packed and ready?"

He spoke with confidence but for some reason the man's face was seemingly familiar. His squared jaw and grey eyes were strange, nostalgic even, but still, not from this world: unusual.

"Briefing...?" I let out a heavy breath as I just stood there, confused, with my arms loose at my sides but still holding the little silver box, stock still and shocked. _Briefing for what? Does it have something to do about me leaving? _I had heard of him, of the stories, but had never met him, never met him... in person.

"She is all ready to go, guardian." Mother raised her head as she responded to Aang's question, her cheeks still stained by her early shed of tears. _Guardian?_ Next, father turned from looking at the stranger to back to me, his smile had turned into an emotionless stare, a mask; something I definitely wasn't comfortable seeing on his otherwise cheery demeanour. He grabbed my arm and tugged my unwilling form towards the monk and motioned to bow. Following his orders, all I could do was listen to his command since I was too shocked to do anything else. I began to lean forward, my face looking down to their feet and the tiled ground when a warm hand replaced dad's on my arm.

"There is no need to bow, Evelyn." I stared up and met my blue eyes with his charcoal ones. _Don't bow, bow, don't bow..? _"If anything, I should be bowing to you, child." At that he leaned over and gave a very formal welcome. Blushing, I was left just standing there, unsure of what to do and how to act in front of something, or someone, like this.

"Err...Why are you...b-bowing?" Feeling the heat rise to my cheeks, I stammered for an answer and covered my face. Standing straight, he looked directly at me once more and placed his hands onto my tense shoulders. Embarrassed, I had to turn my head and look over to the side wall to avoid further shame.

"You don't realise it just yet but you are a very important person, you know that?" He tilted his head in question. To be honest, I found it quite comical how he was asking me if I was important when the reason he was here is to tell me about all this _secret business_.

"Nope, because my parent never told me any of this," I snapped back, mirroring his raised eyebrow. "If I am so _damn_ important then why are you taking me away from my family?" I was being rude and I didn't care. Usually I was shy around strangers but he was an exception, probably since he was the one that was apparently in charge of me.

I was flustered and struggled to regain my breath after my short yet fiery rant. With every word I gripped tighter and tighter to the little box being strangled in my grip.

"For my whole life I wondered why I was different. I was told that I was going to live an ordinary life like the other villagers so wh-"

"We thought that too!" My father boomed, interrupting my outburst. "We only found out about this change recently!"

"Your family is right," Aang murmured, keeping his voice low. "I only asked for their help a couple of years ago. They thought you would live a safe and normal life."

I quietened down, ashamed that I had spoken aloud without knowing the circumstances and the rest of my company looked expectantly towards me. I had to behave. I was the one here that would need to act mature and stable towards the situation. But I had a reputation to uphold in the village and I wasn't the one that was going to become stoic and serious. It was time to accept the moment.

"So," I smiled, "you're supposed to be my _special_ guardian or, whatever now?"

"Evelyn!" My father chastised from across the room where he was now standing. His face was contorted into a mixture of anger and disappointment. "How dare you speak to him like that?" Aang stepped to my side so that he could see the older man without having his vision obscured.

"It's quite alright Lu," he chuckled. "She deserves to know, wouldn't you agree?" My father just remained there, speechless, a tint of red sprayed across his cheeks in embarrassment. "Evelyn, if you would please follow me, say your goodbyes, we must be on our way now."

I didn't know how I was supposed to reply. Being stuck for words and knowing that I only had mere seconds to say goodbye didn't make it any easier. To make things worse, I didn't even know who _he_ was and where we were going. All I did know was that my parents trusted him and that was enough.

They ran over, hugging me tight within their embrace. I could feel water seeping though my gown so I presumed that mother had started to cry again. Loosening her grip, mum shuffled back, wiping her eyes, whilst father took this opportunity to stroke my dark hair softly.

"I'll miss you so much." The man mumbled over my head as she rested into the crook of his neck. It wasn't much, but it was a moment I would never forget.

"I'll miss you too."

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Hello! This is my first fanfic so I apologize if it isn't very good at the moment but I promise you- **It will get better!** This chapter isn't very long and I assure you they will get longer and much more detailed!I will also just mention that the spelling might change. When I write this I tend to use the British spelling because...well..i'm British and this website enjoys changing it to the American words when I write so, sorry for the mismatched words.  
Please review your opinions and any changes you think I should make :)


	2. Chapter 2

"So I'm presuming you have no idea who I might be then, no?" Aang and I walked along the spirit fields, on our way to some unknown destination. He looked down at me with a smirk on his face and I used the short distance between us to study him up close. He was definitely older than me and I kept to my earlier presumption of him being in his early twenties, give or take a few years. Height also seemed to be something that separated us; I may not be tall but I was nowhere near small and yet he still stood to be around five inches bigger.

I focused on our conversation once again and tried to think about a truthful answer without seeming rude."Well, to be honest, no. Your name rings some bells and you look quite familiar but I can't quite pin point where from." Looking down at my feet, I shuffled through my memories and tried my best to figure out when or where I had heard of him from. I had seen him before, _definitely._

"Okay, okay, so we'll answer the questions you asked earlier first then, right?" I nodded in reply and looked up. Up until now we had been walking in silence for the first ten minutes of leaving the house and I had been balanced on the edge of having a panic attack or bursting from the excitement of new places. So to break the flustered phase I had been going under I supposed getting the answers would be a great start.

"First off my name is Aang and I was the previous avatar." The way he said it made me feel as though he thought of it as nothing. He just said it so simply with a quick shrug of his shoulders whilst avoiding my gaze and looking forward into the nothingness that was our path. All I knew was that the avatar was a being that connected the spirit and human worlds and that a girl name Korra was the current avatar. I recalled the powers that such a being possessed and as a child I would be envious of such 'cool' attributes, wishing them upon myself.

Suddenly understanding this made me realise why my parents were bowing fifteen minutes ago and it then proceeded to make me feel extremely underdressed and self conscious in his presence.

My clothes, however, were not what were making me most embarrassed, but instead it was the way he looked expectantly in my direction afterwards, as though he was ready for an excited puppy to emerge after finding out about his true occupation.

"Oh..." I murmured. And then it hit me, how is he even here? He should be dead, especially if Korra is alive. None of this made sense and I clutched harder onto the petite silver box I had received from my parents.

Aang must've been reading my body language because at that exact moment, he turned from being beside me and instead chose to walk in front, effortlessly stepping backwards. Instead of seeing a disappointed frown on his features I was instead greeted by a friendly grin that was almost filled with awe. If anything, it accentuated his childlike behaviour that had been appearing the more he had gotten comfortable around me. He certainly may have looked bigger in appearance, but he was the puppy here.

"I understand what you're thinking, how? Why?" The look he flashed at me made my heart melt; he was eager to tell someone about the Avatar, to be the teacher for once instead of the scolded student. It almost gave me the idea that he was..happy.. to know that I was nearly oblivious to the situation we were momentarily in.

The cheerful scene ended as quickly as it came.

"Well the truth is that Korra had...an incident. You see, the avatar is a human soul entwined with the spirit Raava, which is why, when the human dies, there is still a spirit that can move on, creating the new avatar. In this case that's Korra." I continued to nod; all of that had made sense but still didn't explain why Aang was here. He turned back around and returned to his position at my side as we continued to walk into the spirit woods. Obediently, I continued to listen.

"You see, even when the human dies, Raava is still entwined with their soul taking it with her as she moves on. This means that when the Avatar State is summoned, the past souls that Raava has collected share their knowledge and power; the more avatars there are, the stronger the avatar state gets. Understand?" It was getting complicated but I could still keep up and, surprisingly, it made sense. I wasn't completely certain what the Avatar state was though but it sounded intriguing, something I would want to hear more about.

As we walked, we were faced with bigger and bigger obstacles and had to duck and weave through any branches that sprouted in our direction. The air was getting thicker and the sky was gently turning from its light blue to a dull purple haze.

"So that's why the Avatar can sometimes change to look like their predecessors? What about Korra's...incident?" I questioned, waving my hand a little to accentuate the 'incident' part. His little speech made it so that I understood _how_ avatars work, but not _why_ he was here. I was aware of the little tricks that this mysterious bender could perform due to the books that my Father kept in the house, all of which contained the same man: Roku.

We continued walking through the woods, stepping across overgrown tree roots and hopping over any small stray mushrooms that were growing within the pathway as I awaited his response.

"Yes, exactly. Korra was in a fight with Unalaq, someone that had entwined their self with Vaatu, Raava's opposite. You could even go as far as saying that together, Unalaq and Vaatu were the _Avatars_ opposite, hungry for destruction and ruin. She was struck down by this man and had Raava ripped out of her soul, along with the past lives she was entwined with." We had exited the dense area of the forest and were nearly out in the open. I had never been to this part of the World and a giant, aged tree ahead caught my attention for a second before I returned to listen to the man by my side.

"With Korra mentally broken and injured, Unalaq lashed out at Raava, supposedly destroying the past lives she had kept within her. Korra then used the spiritual connection she had previously mastered with my son to later defeat her enemy and regain her use over Raava and the Avatar state." The Airbender next to me had slowed his pace and seemed engrossed in his own storytelling but you could still see the longing on his face to be reunited with his children and wife. I steadied my walking to match his and we seemed to dawdle for a bit before he reached the end of his tale.

"She didn't however, gain her past lives back." A frown appeared on Aang's face and his forehead furrowed whilst he retold the devastating memory of his successor.

"Like I said earlier, the previous avatar's souls travel _with _her and, as you know, souls do not die, some even transform into spirits if the Gods allow it. The past lives that Unalaq thought he destroyed have nowhere to go and need a body to hold themselves within." He stopped talking completely and moved so that he was stressfully looking at me. I widened my eyes at the final statement- _need a body-_ I looked to my right, stopped in my tracks and stared straight back into Aang's eyes, trying to comprehend what was just mentioned. Images of having the life transferred from one person to another appeared in my vision and immediately I regretted imagining such a nightmare.

"M-me?" I looked at him disbelievingly, the avatars needed to hold their souls within someone and I thought that must be me...

"Yes, Evelyn, you." He stopped to remain by my side and placed his two large hands on my shoulders to help steady me. "You see, you father was originally human, a man that died in battle and the son of a good friend of mine." I stopped thinking about being a human shell and this revelation left me utterly speechless. Human? I glanced over at Aang and a small, sad smile graced his lips. I tilted my head to the side, a sign to continue.

"He was an honest man with no wrong doings and died at a young age, fighting a battle that wasn't his. The spirits took care of his pure soul and has lived here ever since. You mother is a spirit, one of those that first took care of him. They grew to love one another and chose to have a family." I thought back to a few moments ago and recalled him mentioning the Gods being linked to the spirit realm, everything made sense, it all linked.

"Being their child means that you were born between two species and that means that you are half of each- roughly." I looked down at the ground worried. _Half_. I moved over to a nearby tree and sank down to my knees and tried to breathe in slowly. Aang also knelt down to my level, placed a hand on the bark by my head and continued.

"The body that the souls need has to be able to travel to the human's world in order to give wisdom to the avatar if needed. Pure spirits cannot travel using the portals, their aura is too strong to pass through safely so only weak ones or humans can make the journey. You are neither, so I ask of you, beg of you, for you to help us" I got to my feet once more and noticed the pleading look painted onto his features and looked directly ahead.

"This has got to be a joke-" I began.

"No. This is nothing of the sort. I believe that this could be a life changing experience for you and me alike, your parents believed so too." He moved from his crouched position and stood up straight to prove just how serious he was about the decision I would have to make.

I thought back to my parents, the people that willingly let me travel with someone they hardly knew, the people that would put me into this type of situation. Those same people are the ones that have done all they can to make sure that their child has an adventurous future and lives a life away from the confinement of the village. They obviously didn't like the fact that I was leaving and yet they have had all of this planned for years. I am not the only one having to make sacrifices. . I was also surprised as to why he was entrusting someone like me with his wisdom and mind. But some other things still didn't make sense too, if I was to have full trust in Aang, I would have to know all that I can to try and make everything add up

"Aang, I still don't understand how you are here; you say you need a body yet here you stand." It had gotten dark yet the spirit portal was bright enough to see, it was mere kilometres away. We had walked for little over twenty minutes now yet we had managed to walk over ten miles, being with the Airbender was an unusual experience in more ways than one.

"You see Evelyn; I _am_ the souls of past avatars, reincarnated into a spirit, just like your father, but only as a temporary form, I cannot stay like this for much longer. But as I mentioned earlier, pure spirits cannot pass through the portal, technically I or _we_..." He gestures to himself "... are a pure being, we need you." After a moment of pause I looked up at the sky, following the seemingly endless beam of light coming from the portal ahead. I walked forward, ignoring the avatar by my side.

The village was nice and quiet...But that was all. Living a calm and serene life in a dainty village might sound nice to some, but me? No. I didn't like the idea of working alongside Mrs Briggs at the bakery or having to put up with Mr Norson's constant complaining about his fat wife. Life had its funny moments and I enjoyed the silence that could be occupied by my reading or drawing. But spending the rest of my life living in a routine is boring. Talking to the same people about the same things was boring. Living my life as a housewife or gardener was _boring_. I didn't want any of that. I would settle down some time. Just not right now.

"My family is back home, my loves and treasures are back home, but my life is still ahead of me. I.. will.. help you Aang, just promise me a life of thrill and adventure." Looking back up at him I noticed that he has stopped in his tracks. Turning round I found him standing still just looking at me in wonderment with a gentle smile painted across his lips. I returned the gesture.

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Hope you liked this chapter. I'm starting to get further into the story now, explaining how and why my story line works. I think this should make it all more understandable...

Anyway, I will be updating every Sunday so I have plenty of time to write up a chapter in between school work and exams :(

See you in a week :D


	3. Chapter 3

Legend of Korra characters and settings don't belong to me but Evelyn does :c)

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The light was blinding yet I could still make out the faint outline of brick buildings and large pathways inside of the portal's beam. The yellow tinge that it gave off from a distance was mesmerising and beautiful to look at, but up close it became even more so. The base was surrounded by a pool of blue, glowing water that seemed to reflect any object perfectly no matter how rippled the surface became. Every day I would see this beam shooting straight up through the sky, going higher than the trees and then seeming to vanish into the abyss of the night. Afternoons would be spent lying by the window wondering what lay beyond the spirit realm. I had lived here, in the local area, all of my life and yet this was the closest I had ever been to the portal that held everything I knew together.

Behind me, Aang was proudly stood wearing a reassuring smile. "Are you ready?" He looked like a king, a childish king, nevertheless, but still, a man of power. The robes that he wore remained flawless and swaying despite the lack of wind and his staff had been left wedged into the ground by the portal not far from where he stood. He was a couple of paces ahead of me with his palm stretched out; inviting me to the new journey I would soon call life.

"Remember what I told you: relax and let me take care of the transition, okay?" I understood perfectly.

Aang had told me that he would have to merge our beings together so that his souls could entwine with my own. It sounded scary, terrifying even, but the monk continued to give me the encouragement that it would be okay.

Kneeling down, I sat my present by my side and lightly placed my hands by my knees. I lifted my head up and looked to the sky once more, shaking my head to remove any stray strands of hair. I rested my muscles, feeling almost like I was physically going to sleep yet, mentally, I was wide awake.

Giving a nod, I signalled for him to begin, knowing my life would never be the same afterwards.

Moving to stand directly in front of me, Aang gently moved his hand and placed his right thumb on my forehead, wrapping his other fingers onto the side of my face by my ear. His other thumb was placed in the centre of my chest above my heart. If I wasn't so nervous about the situation then I would've taken note on how his hands were attached to my seventh and fourth chakras- focusing on my spiritual connections, wholeheartedness and confidence.

Furrowing his brows, he took a large breath before his face began contorting and sweat slowly made its way down past his nose. I remained patiently waiting for something to happen, preparing myself for sudden shot of pain or sickness. None of that came, yet.

A pulse of electricity surged through my being, working its way through my entire system. Slightly jerking back I realised that the only feeling I now had was of the energy being transferred through the two fingers placed upon my head and chest. A blanket of heat surrounded my body like a wave of warm water, drowning my being in a new sense of life.

An image of Aang's much older self was the first thing I saw. His younger self grew aged before my eyes and his beard grew to be much longer, showing me his older form. Next the elderly Avatar transfigured into a completely different person: a man in red robes like my fathers. Since the warmth around me turned into a burst of light, I never had chance to see the rest of the new man's figure or features.

The ball of red and blue energy spewed out of each of us, leaving me blind until the luminosity finally died down.

Aang's body continued to change into new people, each person transforming faster than the last. A woman in clothes similar to my own flashed into my mind as the power continued to come in contact with my skin. She was the last person I managed to get a good look at before the figures started to switch bodies faster than I could comprehend. More people began to appear in the place that Aang stood, his face and hair slightly changed with each new character and he wore the clothes to match the person he was portraying. The clothing all appeared in a certain order: Orange, red, green then blue: the avatar cycle going backwards, if I recalled correctly. Everything happened so quickly, faces changing, colours blurring and merging into a single, white light.

But then it stopped.

I slumped forward and blacked out.

As I blinked away the black specks dotting my vision I looked around for something remotely familiar. Aang was nowhere to be seen. Carefully I began to sit up, using my hands to prop myself up from the laying position I was currently in. His form was missing and I was still feeling very tingly after the events that had just passed.

Finally, after managing to get to my feet, I could take in my surroundings completely. The sky had darkened greatly, signalling that it must've been a while since I arrived. I glanced over to the portal to check that this was all reality and I hadn't just started daydreaming again. Sure enough, it was.

'**_Evelyn'_**_. _Freezing in my place I panicked, trying to locate the sound of the voice. After a couple of minutes looking around I heard it again.

**'****_Evelyn_**_.'_ It was then that I registered that there was, indeed, a voice now inside my head that was not my own. **'****_Evelyn, it's okay, I'm right here, we all are.'_**

I could hear him in my mind, his soft voice echoing inside my thoughts as I stood to face the light of the portal again. The staff that my guide had been once carrying was still stuck into the mud by the water and I felt bad to just leave it there, where any stupid kids could get their slimy hands, tentacles or paws on it.

Pulling the yellow pole out of the ground, I got to get a good feel of its weight. I didn't like how light it was. This flimsy _stick_ wouldn't have be able to hold my heavy body If I needed the support! I held onto it though, it was something that belonged to the person now invading my thoughts so I could at least hold something physical to remind me of what was happening.

I turned to where I had been laying a few moments before and the glint of wrapping paper caught my eye.

**'****_Step into the portal, we will guide you and tell you what to do; we must train you before you meet with Korra.' _**said Aang.

I quickly rushed over to grab the gift before returning to my previous standing position.

Instinctively I cautiously stepped into the light before me and floated; suspended in pure yellow light. The brick buildings and roads become clearer the longer I stayed there whilst the pool of water faded from around where I hovered. The light was no longer blinding but quite pleasant.

Little spirits were also suspended around me, weak souls that wanted to travel between realms. Moments passed and the rush of falling made my head spin but soon after, my feet had hit solid ground once more.

I didn't know how or why, but I knew exactly where I was: The North pole. Snow that remained mostly untouched surrounded the area where I stood and the trees that towered over me seem more...inviting than scary. _Just like the woods I passed just over...there. _Turning around, the realisation hit me. We weren't in the spirit world anymore. No one I knew was here. There was nothing that I could do. I was helpless.

**'****_Close your eyes and touch one of the branches below you. Everything is connected.'_** Honestly, the moment I heard the sound of his voice, I jumped back in surprise. After composing my body and reminding myself about the transition that just passed, I listened to his advice.

Looking down I saw hundreds of skinny roots winding and twisting around one another and meeting under the light of the portal. Bending over I rested my hand upon some of the brittle bark that wasn't covered in snow and closed my eyes, just as Aang had asked me to.

Flashing lights, brick houses, bustling streets and unusual moving objects with wheels carrying people filled my vision. The image moved over to the inside of a large square building with a domed roof and a long table stretching the length of the room.

An older version on Aang sat on the table with two boys, around my age, with black hair. Each wore different clothes: Red and Green and one of them were slightly more buff whilst the other was lean. There were also two girls, one slightly older, both in orange and yellow robes with black hair, resembling the man that looked like the Airbending Avatar.

Another girl sat on the far end of the table in a blue outfit with short brown hair and she was around the same age as the older boys so I guessed she must have been a bit older than me, maybe by a couple of years. Covering her arms were long arm bands that were separate from her outfit and her eyes were a brilliant blue, lighter than my own. She just sat there, wearing a bored expression whilst the others took part in what seemed to be an important discussion.

It was her. She was the girl from all my dreams

... and nightmares.

Opening my eyes with an audible _gasp_ and a sharp pain running though my spine I looked around: The streets looked just like they were in the vision with all the weird objects and people in fascinating clothing. Looking down, my eyes connected with my hand and seeing it attached to a large green trunk made me jump back in surprise; _where had that come from!?_

**'****_Everything is connected.'_** Aang's wisdom was incredible but then again, I guess it would be when you're attached to hundreds of other spirits and memories. Gazing around at the new scene I found that I was no longer around the portal or in the forest, but rather in a park with a crater carved out of its centre. In the distance, the domed building stood tall towering over the nearby houses with braches and vines crawling out of its roof and windows. **'****_She's in there, but you are not yet ready to meet her. It is time for you to train. Touch the vine once more.'_** Turning back around, I placed my small hand back onto the rough bark; I was already expecting a fast and dizzying journey.

An image flashed forward: a grand temple, just like father's paintings, sat atop a mountain. Large towers of white brick elegantly carved with tapestries and sketches surrounded the main building. It was huge and I wasn't one hundred percent sure how someone would be able to get to such a place. From what I had already seen of the human realm, I knew that mobility wasn't something that they were naturally very good at; the city had had many vehicles that moved around for them.

Within seconds of viewing the scene I was there, standing in the centre of the new location within the courtyard. To my left, large, worn, wooden poles were poking out of the ground in a squared shape with what looked like goals at either end. To my right was a long corridor and at the end stood a huge door with three spiral circles moulded into its front.

**_'Home_****.'** A painful, heartfelt emptiness was all I could feel. I was stuck between wanting to cry or laugh. Memories flickered through my mind. Groups of children, identical in dress, chased one another, cheering and shouting, running and...Flying? _Humans cannot..fly._

Some of the older children were on the wooden poles playing a game of foot-ball but with a ball of..air? I hadn't seen much but I already knew that these people were not like those driving around in metal machines, no; these people were no longer here in this world. These were childhood memories that didn't belong to me.

* * *

Yay! Sunday is here along with another chapter!  
I feel bad for making you all wait a whole week, but tough luck, sorry :D

I am so glad that I have been getting a bunch of views already, so thank you to whoever is reading this now!

See you next week!


	4. Chapter 4

sophiathesofa\- Thank you for my first review! I'm glad you recognized who Evelyn's Dad was (Lu Ten) and I hope to add some more characters you will remember from both shows. More will be revealed soon. :c)

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_**'Home.'**__ A painful, heartfelt emptiness was all I could feel. I was stuck between wanting to cry or laugh. Memories flickered through my mind. Groups of children, identical in dress, chased one another, cheering and shouting, running and...Flying? Humans cannot..fly._

_ Some of the older children were on the wooden poles playing a game of foot-ball but with a ball of..air? I hadn't seen much but I already knew that these people were not like those driving around in metal machines, no; these people were no longer here in this world. _

_These were childhood memories that didn't belong to me. _

* * *

The images faded, changing the immaculate white walls I had seen in my mind into more aged ones cracked, ruined and covered in moss and ivy. The temple was but a shell of its former self.

It was then that I understood what I was being shown and the kids that I had seen in my vision were people I knew. It may not have been my friends laughing and running about but I could still recall each of their names.

I knew that we were in the Southern Air temple and I knew were everything was, or, where it used to be.

"Air nomads, the nation that focuses on the mind, grace and harmonising with spirits." I said out loud, knowing that it was unnecessary but I was still amazed at how I knew this information.

**_'Ah, I see that you are very good at tapping into your past lives already.'_**

I assumed that by this that he meant that I could see his memories and the memories of the other Avatars that had lived or visited this temple in particular.

The sky had darkened greatly leaving the natural light of the moon and stars to give me an idea of my surroundings. Looking around I noticed an absence of people which would be no shock seeing as it was growing later into the night. Little sounds still occupied the air, however, but other than that, from what I could tell, I was completely alone, well, physically anyway.

"So this training, what will it include? And why here? Where is everyone?" I was aware of the army of questions but I needed to know what I had gotten myself into.

I had only known this man for half a day and I already had him in my mind, in my _soul._ If he wanted cooperation then he would have to let me in on a thing or two.

**_'Your training will take place in separate parts, each of which I will explain Later.'_**

"And what about this place, I know all about the spiritual side, somehow, but that still doesn't give me any answers."

**_'As you are aware, this is the Southern Air Temple and it is currently inhabited by Air Acolytes so we shall move to a more secluded location.' _**

"Wait, people live here!" I said a bit too loudly in surprise. "Real human beings!" I had never met a human before in the flesh. Father didn't count since he had technically been given the form 'by the gods' as Aang put it. I wanted to meet one and to have a conversation with someone from another world, to learn their ways.

Was this place much different to the Spirit world? Did they speak the same language? How many of them were there? Could they fly too?

It was all too exciting to hold back!

**_'Hush your tone, Evelyn! Yes, people reside within the temple, but they do not know of your existence, and I would rather we keep that between us for the time being.'_** Although the man was trying to sound strict, I could sense the small amusement echoing within his voice.

I was put down at the thought of remaining isolated from such interesting cultures but if it was to help in my training and becoming a fit body for the Avatars then I would have to comply with what was needed.

I guessed I would have plenty of time to have a chat with Air Acolytes _after _training...

**_'We must move further away. Along your right is a grand door that is locked by three giant spheres. Quietly_****_move toward it, I will do the rest.'_**

Luckily for us, the night had brought silence along with it, preventing anyone from finding us if we were to make much sound- hopefully.

With light feet I padded towards and down the echoing corridor that slightly curved to reveal the door at the end more clearly. With all of its might, the entrance remained tall and quite menacing to look at in the dark. I focused my gaze on the strange looking locks that kept the big doors closed, keeping what was inside safe.

"What are those things?" I asked, curious what was needed to open them.

There was no key slot, handle or lever to open them like I usually would see on something like that so it was a mystery to me.

**_'They are locks that act like little vents. Only an Airbending master can open it using the winds and currents being pushed through.'_** The voice in my head was beginning to feel more natural the more it was used, feeling more like a comforting rumble of wisdom than an invading chatter of nonsense.

_Airbending._ That was another thing that didn't make sense- I couldn't Airbend, or bend any of the elements for that matter. Then again, I wouldn't have been surprised to find more out about myself from these voices, especially when I'd recently learnt about being a half-spirit. Even that still hadn't settled right with me.

I stepped closer to the door to get a better look and saw how the locks where slightly turned, like they had been opened before. I also saw how each of the three was connected via two long brass pipes that looked like horns protruding from either side.

"But how am I supp-"

**_'Listen, I need you to stat quiet and relaxed for this to work. Trust us.' _**My question about how this was going to work was swiftly cut off by Aang.

The more I was hearing him and, judging by his previous actions, he wasn't rude, just overly excited and impatient like a child. But if I was to train in peace I would have to trust the man I had let into my life. I had to trust him just like I had back at the portal and when I had left my home to travel to the human world.

Standing prepared with a steady stance I remained as still as possible about three meters away from the doorway. I had moved Aang's staff and the neatly wrapped gift behind me so that they weren't in my way, giving me more space to move if needed.

I relaxed my muscles so my arms were loose by my sides and my mind was completely focused on staying calm and silent. Evening out my breathing, I closed my eyes.

A rush of energy, similar to the power surging through me at the portal, made its way from my feet up to my stomach, heart and then along each of my arms to my fingertips. The only difference was that before it felt like water rushing into my system, whereas now it was more like cold beads.

It felt like wind, almost, like I was having the air knocked out of myself and released into the surroundings. Slowly, my arms were lifted horizontally in front and my hands flicked up so the palms of my gloves were facing away.

Carefully I opened my eyes to see what was happening and wasn't disappointed by the view: Pouring out of my fingers was white wind that trailed over my whole being. It was wrapped around my shins, knees, waist, shoulders, and forearms and finally exiting from my hands.

The power I was using didn't feel overwhelming at all, in fact, it felt natural and soothing. I was aware that _I_ wasn't the one doing this, but still, it was pretty cool.

The tunnel of air swirled elegantly around and although it was cold, it was relaxing rather than uncomfortable.

I continued to watch as the element moved its way into the brass horns, creating a loud but graceful tune from the instrument. In an instant, the sound became higher pitched as the air moved further up the tubes and closer to the first two locks.

With a sudden twist, the locks turned around, revealing a different colour shell on the back of it with another horn in the centre of each.

The sound was huge and the temple itself shook with all the force. The last shell had been a large horn that sounded just like a tuba roaring at its loudest. Creaking open, the large door revealed an even darker room with no light currently streaming in to let me see what was in there.

Worried about the noise I tensed up my muscles, which released Aang's hold on my body, and rushed in. After stepping foot past the doorway, I realised that I'd left my possessions on the other side, so, being as swift as I could, I grabbed my items and scurried back inside.

Using all the strength I could muster, I pressed my weight against the back of the door and leaned onto it to shove it shut.

Being huddled in the dark was a less than pleasant experience, especially when the only company you had was the voice of the man that bound himself to your soul. I make that sound worse than it was; in fact, the whole experience was actually quite astounding.

"Well that was an interesting event to say the least." I laughed, quite hysterical at the fact that I had just broken into a sealed room on the side of an ancient and sacred temple, using the power of air which was controlled by the voice in my head that's also entwined with my soul.

_What a day._

**_'We do not need to worry about noise in here. I assure you that no one will hear you.'_**

"Really? And what loud noises will I be making in here then, huh?" If this was holy ground, or whatever, then I presumed that I would meditate like I would back home.

**_'Well let's just say that when I trained in here the majority of what's inside was replaced.'_**

As he spoke, another memory invaded my conscious self, showing me footage of a young and round faced boy whizzing around the room. Underneath his crossed legs was a giant ball of air which swirled consistently and allowed him to quickly manoeuvre around a set of statues. He didn't last very long before one of them broke, causing his air ball to dissipate and making him fall directly into another one of the large sculptures. _Of course that man was a mischievous child, no surprise there._

When I had first moved into the room I hadn't seen all of the beautiful figures since my eyes were still adjusting the change in scenery.

The chamber that I had been locked into was as spiritual as it possibly could be. Spiralling up the walls and along the floor were endless amounts of statues, each resembling people that looked familiar the same way Aang did when I first met him. They were lit up from the moonlight that drifted in from the open roof and small cracks covering the walls which gave them an ethereal hue, highlighting all of the features that decorated each shrine.

**_'This is us. All of these faces are now voices able to give you wisdom whenever you need or want it.'_**

**_'You have the memories and skills from every one of these beings. It's now your job to learn from them and put all of it to good use.'_**

I may not have known this man for long but I couldn't help but smile at how proud he sounded. To some people, talking about ancestors brought shame but being the Avatar must do the complete opposite. I knew that they weren't related but they were still his predecessors.

I stayed rooted to the spot and let my gaze take in the stunning image lying before me.

"You're all..beautiful"

* * *

You finally get to see Evelyn bend! Well, sort of... anyway.

There isn't anything really happening at the moment but I already have the upcoming chapters planned out with some actually plot events! Woo!  
I don't own legend of Korra (wish I did) but I do own Evelyn.  
See you all next week!


	5. Chapter 5

SilverStorm5- Thank you for the review! Glad you like it so far. As for the voices, you must have been reading my mind since this chapter contains just what you asked for... :c)

I do not own Legend of Korra characters, only Evelyn.

* * *

I moved from my position by the door to get a better look at who had been carved into the stone blocks here in the temple. I wasn't able to see all the way up the walls to see the people there but the statues planted on the ground were clear enough to recognise.

**_'Try and see if you can remember. Who are these people, Evelyn? What are their names?' _**I could see where he was going with this, what he thought he could achieve. Earlier I had managed to access the Avatar's memories and pull out little details and at one point I even activated a vision just by hearing Aang's voice, so why not? I gave it a go.

The first stone monument was of a tall woman with long robes and a cape-like fabric around her shoulders. Around her neck were large round beads that draped down to collar with a round Air Symbol pendant resting above her heart. Hands that were imitating meditation prayed beneath the pendant and it looked as though the entire body was deep in thought.

I dug deep into my memories and thought back through time, to when the temple was young, when everything was simpler and the wars were less frequent.

"Yangchen." I said aloud. I knew her; she was the last Airbending Avatar before Aang. Looking more closely I could make out the faint sculpted lines of an arrow protruding through her hairline and settling on her forehead, between her eyebrows.

Without waiting for the voice in my head to reply, I moved on.

The next person I came across was a broad shouldered man that was menacing in every way possible. Sitting atop his shoulders was a bear's pelt that also combined into a hood that framed his sharp face. Judging by his clothes and his predecessor, he was a Waterbender just like Korra.

"This one..is..Kuru?" I said, not as certain as I was with the last, but I still had an idea of who this person was but the connection wasn't significantly strong. I knew much less about his past too. There was no memory relating to his contribution to the world and I still wasn't completely sure if that was even his name.

**_'It is Kuruk, but I am glad that you could connect with this Avatar in particular.' _**Aang replied. I waited for further explanation.

"**_Being the child to a previous Firebender can mean that contacting your opposite is more.. difficult.'_** He continued. I walked over to Kuruk's successor, keeping to a steady pace and looking around at the figures in the distance as I grew closer to the next one.

A monster of an idol was what I came upon next. Elegant yet huge, a woman that was much, much taller than the other figurines was the next Avatar in the cycle. Fans were crossed over her chest with ribbons adorning the handles of each.

Compared to the others, this Avatar was much fiercer with her demeanour and even had makeup etched around her eyes and lips to accentuate her strong profile.

"Kyoshi."

I seemed quite well connected to this one and a memory of one large island separating into two filled my mind. The lava seeping up from the Earth's core was something that only demonstrated her prowess.

As I made my way over to the next, the moon moved higher into the sky, signalling the peak of the night, and made the whole room glow brighter, giving me an even better view of the people I was seeing.

Before I finally stepped to face the next Avatar I already knew who it was. The man that was regally holding his head high was none other than Roku, the Firebending Legend. Not only did I have the help of the past lives to give me this indication, I had also grown up with a Father as patriotic as physically possible.

I may not have known about my Father's origins, but I had known him well enough to of his love for Roku. Paintings were what decorated my entire old home and some of these were of the man currently etched into rock before me. After finding out about my Dad being a Firebender, I could understand why all of these little details were adding up. Before me stood my family's role model.

"Avatar Roku." I said his name much more quietly than the others as I was still deep in thought. I remained in awe as I took in the robes that wrapped around his figure and tied around his neck. What made me stay silent was the little head piece that held part of his hair up in a top knot; it was identical to my Father's.

**"Child."**

A small tear escaped my eyes as I reminisced about my parents and the small pieces of them I had continued to see throughout the start of this journey. I quickly wiped away the droplet once I heard that the voice had changed, refusing to give away any signs of weakness.

**"My dear, Aang is not the only one here, remember?" **I didn't know who the voice belonged to exactly and it wasn't someone I had heard before but after looking back to the stone statuette ahead of me it clicked that Roku was the one talking.

**"I might not have been with you whilst you grew up, but I can identify a sentimental look if I ever saw one."** Although he may not have been there in person I could imagine the raised eyebrow and knowing look he would have whilst talking to me.

The main reason I knew about Avatars at all was because of the book my family had hidden at the back of the bookshelf. As a child I would sneak into the main room at night to grab the book and read up about the immense power of Roku by candlelight. Without him, I would be even less useful than I was at the minute.

**"We are always here with you, whenever you need us." **The single voice of Roku had merged into a chorus of speech that was a mixture of hundreds of tones. It was the sound of the Avatars harmonizing, something that was beyond helpful at calming my nerves.

I had only been hearing this voice for a matter of hours yet it already felt like a part of me.

I moved onwards.

Smiling, I gazed wistfully at the final statue that was located in the centre of the entire room, finishing the curve of figurines.

"Aang."

The man I was looking might not have looked exactly the same as the person I had been travelling with but I was aware that this was him. His gown was not anywhere near as casual as what I had seen him wear before but it was still his cultural style. The man I was looking at now was a bit older than what I was used to and his staff was nowhere to be seen.

I quickly noticed that there was something off about the room that never made sense. Where was Korra's figure going to stand?

"Uhh, Aang, where are your successors going to be placed?" Spinning around and looking up the walls, I saw that there was no room whatsoever for more people to be built here without ruining the spiritual effect that it gave off.

**_'Hm, I've never really thought about it." _**He paused, thinking of his own answer. **_'I would presume that the occupants of the temple would convert the identical storage tower to hold the upcoming Avatars. It's just a theory of course.' _**

After standing in the quiet room for a time longer, I chose to leave the subject and focus on things that would need to happen presently, my training being a top priority, but that could wait until I could see my own movements better than right now in the dark.

Waking up from a short night's sleep, I stretched my aching back and cursed myself for not finding a more comfortable place to rest rather than on the stone floor.

After standing up, the glorious scene that was the temple shone with a beauty matched by no other. Each of the past lives looked almost as though they were glowing and each shared a praying stance that varied depending on the culture that they had originated from.

Snapping myself out of the trance the room seemed to cast upon me, I crouched back down onto my knees to have a look at the items I had been carrying around with me.

Aang's Airbending staff was still just as unimpressive as the last time I looked at it. For some reason I never saw the appeal in the orange fabric that covered the wings or how light it was. But there was also the mystery about what an item like this would do in battle...

I placed the present in my lap and took a good look to guess what was inside. I was going to have to open it some point, why not now? Peeling off the silver paper, I was met by black leather peeking out of the gaps I had pulled back. After removing the bow and covering, I held a seemingly simple rectangular box with intricate patterns stitched into the side. Being gentle with its contents, I carefully lifted the lid to reveal a velvet bed holding two unusual objects.

Glinting in the daylight were two matching circular blades, each with fabric wound along one side to substitute for a handle. They had the appearance of hollowed out suns, with sharp points protruding out of the edges like flames. They were both identical to each other and were a shining, silver colour.

Without even saying anything, I poked around the box only to find a small note attached to the inner lid. The scroll was wound tightly and I rolled it open slowly to avoid it curling back together.

_Evelyn,_

_We know that there is no way to apologize for what we have done but we don't regret the decision we have made. You always longed for a life full of adventure and we believed that we could give that to you.  
The day that Aang met us he told us that the baby we held in our arms could be the means to bring balance and peace to our worlds. We never wanted you to leave but we knew that this would give you the live you deserve rather than the life you were forced into.  
You didn't have a say in the matter and we won't judge you if you never wish to see us again. We just wanted to say:  
We love you, miss you and send good wishes for your journey._

_These are wind and fire wheels, each of which can be used as an effective weapon or training tool. Accept these from us and may you stay safe within your new life._

_Lu Ten and Vallah, your loving parents._

The reality of my situation sank in whilst I read the heart warming message.

'I love you too.' I whispered.

Putting the parchment back into the lid, I reached into the box to get a grip onto the weapons. I had the urge to memorise the way my hand fitted onto the handle, to remember the exact weight and learn their balance. I wanted to perfect the art of using them, to learn to fight, to dodge, and to disarm-

**_'Stop.' _**All of the voices in my head converged into one, stopping me from touching the cool, smooth metal.

"But I ju-"

**_'Evelyn, no.' _**

I hated it when he prevented me from doing what I wanted. I was already isolated from the people living outside in the_ actual_ temple. He had prevented me from seeing the girl that had haunted my nights and now I was refused to touch my own gift.

**_'I know what you want and I'm only stopping you for your own good. These are weapons, things to be used alongside your training."_** I moved my hand away from the box to limit the chance of temptation and shut the lid.

**_'They will only distract you; we can introduce them later into your teachings.'_** I knew he wasn't chastising me and I _was_ the one that had had the final decision to help him, so respecting the rules shouldn't have been an issue.

I would have been lying if I said I wasn't curious when it came to my new weapons. I wasn't even sure if I could wield them to their full potential, would I even be able to use them on an actual person? I wouldn't have to worry about that now though, I was forbidden to use them until Aang said so and honestly, I was glad. Being distracted would only limit how fast I would learn and that wasn't something I wanted.

Thinking about my teaching, I realised that I would have to do something about where I would put the staff and wheels. I would probably have to keep my gift hidden in their box to avoid suspicion and the staff wouldn't cause much disruption so I could always just carry that around with me.

That was assuming I would get to explore the world, of course

After a moment of thought, I stood up and leaned the staff against the wall and I opened the box to the other weapons. I finally lifted them out so that I would feel how heavy they really were and was pleasantly surprised to find that they were heavy, solid platinum- a rare metal in the spirit world. With further inspection, I saw that the bottom of the wheel had a small gap from the bottom of the handle.

Using the gap I just saw in the metal, I slid the one of the wheels onto my right side by hooking it onto my belt. After I let go, the weight made the sash sag a bit but it wasn't enough to pull it off so I knew that I could move onto the other. I repeated the process with the other but instead placed it onto my left side so I could equip them fast enough with each hand if it was necessary.

Luckily, the sharp points on the edge of the blades didn't come in contact with my dress fabric which prevented any tears in the material. They were the perfect accessory.

"Right. When do we start?"

* * *

I couldn't wait another day to upload! Hope you like this chapter and as you can see, the story is starting to (finally) pick up a bit.

I would also like to ask you lovely people something...  
I want to add a bit of **romance** to this Fic and I need your advice:

**Evelyn**x**Iroh**? What do you think?  
Review or PM me your opinion please!

:c)


	6. Chapter 6

**SilverStorm5** \- I'm glad you liked this chapter and I am going to give you a personal thanks since you are the most dedicated viewer to my story! I have a review, alert and favourite author/story from you! Woo! :c)

**EndlessOne**\- I am so happy that you don't mind having an **Evelyn**x**Iroh** story! Hope you like the update :)

I don't own LoK but I do own Evelyn and the plot :)

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**_'Try again and focus this time!' _**I was testing Aang's patience, which didn't seem to be that difficult, whilst trying to meditate.

I sat crossed legged in front of newest Avatar statuette as I was attempting to complete the first step in my training. I was used to meditating quietly back home whenever I was bored, tired or fed up with the day's events, but this was turning out harder than expected.

I had managed to pass through the different stages of Aang's anger:

1) **_'Don't worry, try again.'_**

2) **_'Everyone can do it..eventually.'_**

3) **_'I need you to at least try, Evelyn!'_**

4) **_'What do you mean CALM DOWN? YOU CALM DOWN!'_**

And last, but certainly not least, was the stage I was currently on, where the laidback Airbender act seemed to be a thing of the _distant_ past.

My hands were resting between my legs, both in fists and touching like they were punching. Having my legs and arms connected meant that my chi had a better chance of flowing uninterrupted throughout my body and chakras, hopefully resulting in better progress. This much I had learnt from my mother when she showed me her healing techniques. A person's chi can be used to repair each physical, mental and spiritual injury so having a good flow is usually always vital.

I closed my eyes and relaxed by whole body like I had done on countless occasions and took in a deep breath. I was having no images flashing into my head, no words of inner wisdom, only a blank void, just like the previous attempts.

Letting out the breath I held I finally allowed myself to grow irritable "What is it that I'm even trying to do?" I asked.

He was telling me to do this and that without explaining the main mission and what my objective was. How was I supposed to do something without knowing what that something was?

**_'You are trying to gain access to the spirit world as a pure spirit instead of a human. Almost like accessing your second self.'_** So Aang was saying that I was to become my spirit self...

I uncrossed my legs to release myself from that incredibly uncomfortable position."But I _am_ part spirit. How is this going to work if I'm only half human?" If he was expecting me to come in contact with my 'other' side, then what happens if some of that 'other' side is already here?

**_'It was never guaranteed that this would work, you know. I may be the forefront to our wisdom but I'm not a genie, I don't know everything!"_**

"Smartass...," I murmured.

Unsure of whether to be relieved or annoyed at the waste of half a day, I unfolded myself and stretched my stiff joints that had developed from sitting still too long.

"Well let's try something different then." I no longer remained quiet and reserved, but ready to get something _actually_ done that day.

If Aang had dubbed me an appropriate body to host the Avatar's wisdom and memories, then I would have to be well prepared to defend myself.

For the past day and a half I had been focusing on the spiritual side of my learning, like every student does, apparently. The only problem with that is that I can't really do any of it since I'm not exactly an ordinary pupil. We had tried (or should I say failed) breathing exercises, self reflection and now meditation, all of which meeting the same outcome.

**_'Fine.' _**

This time when the voice came, it was not the cheery side of Aang I was used to, but instead he sounded disappointed and even upset.

As the baby I knew him as, it almost sounded huffy, and in my head I could already imagine him pouting with his arms crossed. But being the concerned (albeit paranoid) person I am, I needed to know why he was so distressed.

**'Your Father was Fire Nation, correct?**' Without time for me to ask about his worries, a newer voice was present, replacing Aang in the process.

I would have to admit, I was no longer concerned with why Aang was upset, I already knew the answer and his side of the story wasn't something I was particularly bothered about at the moment.

I had been greeted by Roku and was already grinning like an idiot at the sound of his voice. It led me to understand why my 'guardian' was pouting; he was forced to resign being a mentor to me. Big baby.

"Yes, at least I think so."

**'Good. That means that you are more likely to hold a Firebender's aura,' **Roku said.

Aang had mentioned that the bending ability in a human is not chosen by genetics, but rather by their aura- it is depicted on their personality and true intentions. It is, however, common for a family to all contain the same aura, this is because they will all have grown up with and around people with the same spiritual connection and they would've picked it up on habit.

**'That will be the basis for the art we will go over first.'** Just being able to speak to this god of a man was good enough, but knowing that he would be involved in my training was a huge bonus. I was a little concerned about the fighting part, the hitting part and the bit that involved fire, but other than that I was elated.

"So how do we start?" Giddy with excitement I hopped on the spot, refusing to stand still and being too ecstatic to do so even if I wanted.

The room seemed to radiate my happiness as the clicking of my shoes hitting off of the ground echoed up the walls and resulted in a tapping tune amplifying around me.

**'I would usually begin by explaining the origins of Firebending, teaching a fundamental understanding.'** His soft, deep yet calm speech was a stark contrast to how I was acting- who else wouldn't be hyped to know they were about to throw fire from their hands using the wisdom for a _celebrity_ of sorts?

"But I already know all of that. I contain your memories I know all of this," I waved my hands around dramatically, "already. I don't want to waste valuable time by going over basics."

I was acting foolish and speaking out of line, but it was true. There were people that needed to be helped and yet I was stuck in an Air temple trophy room talking about things I already knew.

**'I understand that, but before we begin I want you to tell me what you know about fire.' **

Thinking about it, fire isn't something that you can just describe other than physically. It has a high temperature, hurts a lot and needs a fuel, but you can't really explain the heat radiating from the mass of flames in a way that sounds convincing.

"It's dangerous. Without a bender, fire can still travel on its own but someone needs to start it first."

The more I thought about, the more I understood.

"It acts like an idea: It consumes anyone and everyone if you let it, it must be controlled."

As I was speaking I become more confident in the answer I was giving and as I was nearing the end I stood up straighter and spoke louder to prove how I got the point.

**'Very good indeed. You understand how our element can be harmful but you don't see the beauty.'** Whilst he mentioned beauty, a flame appeared. I wasn't certain whether it was a figment of my imagination or if it really was dancing in front of my eyes. **'**

**You have to see the colours, the spectrum that lies within.' **

I had to squint my eyes to try and see the shapes being made in the handful of fire and, to my amazement, flickers of blue, red and green swirled around the main body of heat. I continued to stare, hypnotised by the arrangement of neon wrapping around itself. It was gorgeous.

**'Now,' **The flame cut out, snapping me out of the spell it had cast upon me. **'we will start with a small ball of energy. Stretch out your arms.' **I followed his command.

**'Next, cup your hands together as if you are holding a puddle of water.' **I moved my hands to copy the stance I had been told and was left looking as if I was keeping a repulsive object as far away from me as possible.

"Like this?" The way I was stood reminded me of the times I would carry a candle during one of the festivals when I was younger.

Now that I thought about it that was the closest I had ever been to a flame. I always felt like I had so much responsibility by holding the tender sliver or light. I would be concerned if it grew near to flickering out so I would move my fingers to stop the wind from blowing in that direction.

**'Yes, just remember to relax.'**

I stopped tensing my muscles as much and soon the action became less forced and felt much more natural. My feet still didn't fell right though, so I moved them to be shoulder width apart, giving me more room to move if I needed it.

On impulse, I closed my eyes and imagined that the blood pumping through my veins was hot and lava- like. I let the illusion fill my mind as I let the heat travel from my heart to my upper chest and down my arms.

After each joint the sensation grew and by the time the burning was at my inner elbow the hairs on my arms pricked up. It felt real so I peaked one of my eyes open just to check.

**'Keep going! You seem to know what you are doing.'** His reassuring words ushered me into closing my eyes again and thinking about the image in my head.

I imagined that my blood was glowing through my skin, casting a complicated entanglement of markings in yellow and red. The flow of energy reached my wrists and it felt like I was in a sauna. Coated in a relaxing body of warmth, the colour rushed to my fingertips and merged into a small but dense orb of power.

Opening my eyes once more I could finally take a look to see if what I had created wasn't a figure of my own mind. It wasn't. In the palm of my hands- literately- was a ball of fire. It wasn't big or impressive but it was a start.

After the long attempt to get it lit, the ball didn't feel hot in the slightest. If anything, it felt like a part of my own body, an extended part of myself.

**'Impressive, you completed the first stage on your first try; most spend weeks perfecting that technique.'** I didn't mean to gloat but I absolutely agreed. This was impressive and I don't think I quite realised what I was doing at the time. In my hand was a ball of _fire._ Real fire!

It was unheard of for spirits to bend. We all knew the odd person that could shape shift or use a weapon, but when it came to the elements, we grew crops and drank from the stream. No one could control the winds or calm a raging river. I had heard the legends of some spirits going as far as shooting beams of energy at their opponent but they were the really strong ones that lived in the deepest depths of the woods. Like I said, they were only legends.

Still, I loved the pulsing heat coming from my hands; it was like a little heartbeat.

"So what now?" I gently separated my hands to cut off my chi connection and cause the flame to vanish. It was sad to see it go and I already felt colder and less confident without it but I knew that this was needed to move on.

**'I want you to make the fire again and again until you can do it without visualisations.'** I didn't want to keep doing the same thing all day but at least it meant I didn't have to listen to Aang again.

He was nice to talk to and great company but he was all I could hear and he just popped up automatically, it was a bit maddening.

I tried again, visualising the glowing of my veins and picturing the heat moving from my chest to my fingertips. It was quicker this time and didn't feel as forced yet I still managed to create the same outcome- a ball of flames.

For hours on end I was imagining the same picture, the same feeling, each ending up just as successful as the last. Soon I was able to grow an orb of fire within two seconds flat without help from my visualisations, but it was still too long.

"I can't make it faster, Roku, I'm trying, and I just can't."

I didn't want to give up, but it had been a whole day and I still couldn't manage to perfect the basic move. Yes, it was true that I could do it before most could, but I was impatient, still am, and I couldn't wait.

**'This talent is fuelled on a strong emotion. Corrupt benders feed their fire on anger, others on hatred. People like you have to find something you are passionate about and use that to keep your flame alight.'** He was wise in his words and I was glad for it.

Confused, I thought long and hard about what I could use to help expand my abilities. My love for drawing? No, that's just stupid. My desire to meet Korra? No, there isn't really an emotion to cover that one. Determination to get this training over? That could work...

I needed to do it. I was already bored of the basics, I wanted to continue on my journey, to get out of this room, meet new people, travel the world, master the elements, help others and share my new talents with the world.

What if someone was in trouble and I wasn't there? What if Korra needed by help and I was useless in that situation? The panic was building and the urge to complete this damn move was filling my head. It wasn't frustration, but the passion that Roku had been talking about.

I immediately punched forward on impulse, not quite knowing what I was doing. I had full control over my movements but that never stopped me as I punched again. Yellow bursts of warmth spurted from my fists, balling up and then vanishing as they reached the wall.

My foot slid forward and I was crouched down slightly in a stance. I punched again, aiming for the air emblem etched into one of the walls away from the statues. It missed.

Wanting to surpass the training was the only thought in my mind so I tried again. The flames hit their target perfectly.

More energy rushed through me and I was overflowing with adrenaline. More hits, over and over and over again, fought their way past my knuckles and out onto the stone until, finally, I was satisfied with how my bending had become.

**'Congratulations, you are now a Firebender.'**

* * *

As I mentioned on the last update, I am planning on adding some** romance** to the story!

Please **review** whether or not you agree with an **Evelyn**x**Iroh **pairing!

If you do then he will be included in next weeks chapter...

:c)


	7. Chapter 7

SilverStorm5- Yep, the younger Iroh- I think that dating a 50 year old dead man would be a _tad_ weird :P

SyntaxMishe- I wish I could update more too! I have my exams at the minute so finding time to do so is difficult : ( I'm glad you like my story and hearing an honest review about IroLyn lets me make my story good for everyone :c)

* * *

_Hmnhmr_

A loud, gurgling noise echoed around the room and I immediately gripped my stomach to try and cease the noise.

_Hnmgh grmeranm_

The sound only grew louder and I was **starving**! Since I had arrived I hadn't eaten a scrap of decent food now I was being punished for it...great.

"Aang?" I whispered pensively, which was odd, considering that he was in my head so, one, I didn't need to speak out loud, and two, it wasn't like he was just going to disappear, right?

**_'Are you sick of eating this _****_delicious _****_fallen fruit?'_**

_Sarcasm_ I thought, _the lowest form of wit._

He was right though. Living off of fallen cherries and the odd apple was painful to say the least... I think at one point I even sucked on a leaf...

"Let me go outside, PLEASE!" I pleaded, even going as far as bending onto my knees in prayer.

**_'...'_**

**_'...You must practice your bending once you return.'_**

"WOO!" I jumped. "Food that doesn't taste like dirt!"

I ran for the door, ready to be released from the hall I had been trapped in for the past two days.

**_'Not that way,' _**Aang murmured. **_'Use your fire bending to burn a hole in the east wall. The door is too loud to use again.'_** His tone was not one of relief, like mine was, but instead he sounded miserable and droll.

"You don't want me to incinerate the brick, do you?" He couldn't see me, I don't think, but I still had my hands on my hips with an eyebrow raised. "_Big baby,_" I muttered.

I weaved around the statues until I was almost flush against the rock. My hand punched out to hit the wall and I used the building heat in my arms to scorch my way through.

It only took a second but I was soon leaning against the side with my arm the whole way through to the other end.

With a wiggle of my fingers in the fresh air, I pulled my arm back.

I steadied myself and prepared to perform a move I had been recently practicing with the help of Roku. Taking a deep breath in and stretching my back, I let my lungs burn with soothing heat.

With a steady and slow breath, I exhaled and pushed the air up and out of my being, causing flames to erupt out of my mouth in a spiral of colours and patterns.

The little tunnel in the wall was now a gaping hole.

In the back of my mind I could almost make out the whimpering of a depressed Airbender gushing over his destroyed tapestry.

"I'M FREE!" I giggled and screamed. I may have been exaggerating about my confinement, but I was still happy to be out in this new world.

**_'Seriously Evelyn, SHUT UP!"_** Aang shushed.

That just brought up some more giggles.

"You know, I don't understand how people couldn't hear us before; there was no roof in there." It was like proving an annoyed parent right when I said that. But it was true: How come I could make so much noise in there when there wasn't even a ceiling!?

**_'The tower is designed to channel the air and sounds straight up, your...squealing.. would have travelled directly above you.'_** He must've been getting bored with all of the explaining and examples since I had a knack for asking questions.

From the corner of my eye I spotted two ripe and juicy oranges resting underneath a smallish tree decorated with smaller, green ones. It was away from the rest of the temple but was still near the end of a dirt pathway.

_Three...two...one-_

**_'Be careful and stay low.' _**

_There it is..._

It isn't as if I didn't like his advice or his chatter or his complaining or his over protective self, but it got too much sometimes and now it had moved on to being predictive.

Nevertheless, I still stayed crouched down. I moved my way over to the tree, ready to grab one of the delicious fruit when I heard voices.

Rounding the corner were two monks and a man in Fire nation colours talking in English.

To avoid being spotted I pressed my front onto the tree's trunk and poked my head through the bushes to remain hidden but to still see what was going on.

"If you wish to keep the towers safe then having a guard ship will be for the best," The man continued.

"But it will disrupt the peace within the temple-"

"No," the second monk interrupted, "Peace will not be an issue but having soldiers here will distract the students."

"I promise that the boat will not disturb your temple and my men will be too far away from the courtyard to be an interest to your pupils."

The Firenation man must have talking defence with the Airbenders and had stopped near the tree and the end of the track they were currently on.

"And you promise protection from the Earth Nation rebels?" This man, the second robed figure, seemed to be the one with the most reasonable compromise.

To get a better look at the stranger's response, I poked my head further into the foliage and moved up from my crouch to be in a standing position with both hands holding me steadily upright.

"Of course, as a Commander in the United Forces, I promise you complete protection from any threat that should come your way," He bowed with his hand on his heart, vowing his loyalty.

The group turned around and started to move back to the main part of the temple to continue their discussion and plans.

In response I also retreated, reaching down to grab the fruit from the ground. I also planned ahead and picked a few from the tree that would ripen in time for tomorrow's meals.

_SNAP!_

I froze for a split second and hid again behind the bush to prevent anyone finding the source of the noise.

Dragging himself from the conversation, the Commander turned to face my direction, his golden orbs meeting mine through the leaves as he stopped walking completely. The others accompanying him looked confused as he tilted his head in curiosity and continued to stare intently at my widened eyes.

I wasn't completely sure whether he could actually see me or not but I daren't move a muscle.

"Probably just a Lemur," the smallest of the monks replied to the unanswered question.

"_Probably," _The officer mumbled, unhappy with the dismissed response given. He returned to his position by the side of his companions and went on his way.

I released the massive breath I hadn't realised I had been holding and shook off the tension growing in my back and shoulders.

Making a dash for it, I ran to the hall through the hidden hole I had previously burnt in Aang's precious stonework.

**'You have mastered the basics and you now it's time for you to learn the more advanced techniques.'**

I was training with Roku once more and it was now the main activity that took up my day- along with finding food and trying to meditate (which usually just ended with me sleeping.)

"You mean the martial arts part?" I questioned.

**'Indeed, are you familiar?' **For once he didn't seem like the wise old man I had grown to love; he was caught off guard and I couldn't help but smirk at his vulnerability.

"You bet." I grinned. "Being the only girl of the village with nothing to do meant I had plenty of spare time." I unconvincingly flexed my arm to show how I only appeared skinny on the outside.

"This girl right here is a trained professional at Shaolin Kung Fu and Tai Chi." I said, pointing my thumbs at my chest with a huge smile painted over my features.

**'You taught yourself, child?'** He said, seeming genuinely intrigued.

"You got it."I grinned. "Dad had plenty of books and scrolls dotted around the house. I never touched the scrolls but the books were helpful."

**'Your Father must've kept them from his training.'**

"Probably." I said, no longer too worried about my family, I missed them, but it wasn't quite as upsetting to think about. I did, however, find it fascinating that Dad used to be in the Army.

**'Firebending is based on Shaolin fight styles so let's put your skills to the test.'**

The rest of the following days were spent kicking and punching, blocking and spinning, trying to perfect the moves flashing in my head.

Three days passed and I had done it.

Training was tiring but fun all the same and within a month of living at the temple I had mastered Firebending, Earthbending and Airbending, each with help from the corresponding avatars.

I would have to admit that I liked Kyoshi since I saw myself in her. It must've been because she wanted to get straight to the point, but compared to the patience shown by Roku and Aang, she was quite brutal in her teachings.

Aang was an amazing tutor. He may not have taught me meditation very well, but when it came to the actual bending, he was ace! Almost like he had taught before...

But I was stuck on water bending.

I had mastered the movement and everything, had learnt the shapes and the martial arts weren't the issue: I was. I could dance with the wind, breath fire and lift a rock fifty times my weight, but when it came to making a wave, I was awful.

I could manage a normal splash and make a baby whirlpool- that sort of thing- but the advanced stuff was way out of my league.

The movements were perfected but I was unable to actually bend the water properly, my body didn't want to cooperate in that way.

So I decided to just move on.

**_'I think it's safe to say that you have completed the difficult part of your training,' _**Aang said proudly.

"What now then?" I asked, wondering whether this meant I could talk to the people in the temple.

**_'Now we can work with weapons.'_**

I knew that he didn't mean the staff since the Airbending training was mainly spent with the unpleasant stick being twirled around this way and that.

I knew he meant the wheels.

As if on cue, the wind around me knocked the metal tools on my belt about, causing them to _clink_ when they touched my belt buckle.

For the past three weeks I had moved from inside the hall to the beach area hidden at the side of the tower, near the base, whenever I wanted to train.

I found that the open space was much easier to move in and I could Earthbend any obstacles that filled the sand. It was better than having to avoid the statuettes indoors.

I leaped off of the cliff side where the hole in the wall was and used the wind around me to slow my fall and prevent a sore landing.

With feet firmly on the ground, I brandished my weapons, avoiding cutting my belt.

**_'Start with whatever bending you are more comfortable with.'_**

With my right palm gripping one of the handles, I focused on the spikes protruding from the edges and set them ablaze. The fire danced along the sides and spread to cover the object's entirety, swallowing the silver completely.

With a flick of my wrist, the wheel spun, dragging the colourful flames around with it and concocting a mixture of red, blue and orange around my hand. _This is surprisingly...easy._

I did the same with the left wheel and ended up with two glowing circles orbiting my fists. I punched forward, expecting them to fly off of my arms and die off, but none of that happened. I practised the moves I had learnt and the weapons just made the actions even more effective.

I threw the wheels into the air and let go of the handles and the fire continued to burn. I managed to catch them on their decent and continue the routine:

Punch, throw, kick, catch, repeat.

For an hour this was constantly going on and yet I remained in amazement from the ease that this was all happening in.

I started tossing the weapons far away, performing Firebending, and then catching them again as they came back like a boomerang.

I would get faster, and faster and faster, keeping up the movement and pivoting at the right time. I would throw the wheels, perform a fighting dance for efficient training, and then retrieve them again and continue to learn new things.

Within two weeks I knew the weight of them, their colour, how fast they moved, how big they were and how much time it took for them to fly and return. I knew how they fitted in my hand and what the fabric felt like.

These were mine, and I knew how to use them well.

* * *

Ok, so I didn't really get _loads_ of reviews, but from what I did get I have chosen to include Iroh. I don't plan on making the story revolve around their love life however, but I do think having some romance will make this a little more interesting


	8. Chapter 8

**SilverStorm5 **\- I am not going to give away any extra info about the story plot (I'm keeping that all a surprise :D) but there will be more bending scenes coming up soon!

\- Thank you! I'm glad you like it!

Disclaimer- I do not own Legend of Korra :(

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Along the edge of the river, a Fire Nation ship made its way toward the island ahead with the leader on board standing on the dock, ready for anything. His dark hair remained untouched in the wind and his amber gaze watched over the waters ahead. His uniform was perfect and his was collar embroidered with the golden pattern to signify his rank as a leading officer.

General Iroh was visiting the Southern Air temple to check over his team members that were busy guarding their perimeter. It had been just under a month since he last visited and made a deal with the monks to protect the area from possible attacks.

He would usually just send a hawk to send and receive messages overseas but he had a strange connection to this place in particular: The last time he arrived he felt as though he was being watched, like something wasn't quite right.

The ship drew closer and was about to dock up to the front of the island when, to his far left, something caught his eye.

"Men! Prepare to dock! Once on land, go on ahead; I will meet with you soon! "

The side of the boat touched down onto the wooden pier and the men immediately began unloading supplies to take to their fellow crew members on patrol. After some time, all of his men had managed to tie his ship to the island and carry the entire cargo into the courtyard to be picked up.

Iroh, however, didn't move towards the main building, instead he crept over the rocks that outlined the shore. He shifted his weight to remain balanced on the craggy edges and used his training to effectively leap over the crevices cut into his path. Once on the other side of the gaping gap, he used the shaded perch to eye what was happening below.

That's when he saw it.

Flickering in the air were wisps of smoke and flames dancing around one another. He couldn't see the source due to the stones and bushes crowding the beach underneath him. To find where it was coming from he decided to inch closer.

Posed in an alcove of beach was a young woman _Firebending. _He instantly hunched down to prevent being seen but kept an eye on what she was doing. Worried about scaring her, the General stayed back but kept watch to see what she was doing more clearly.

She was stood in a precise stance inside a circle of rocks, which she had presumably made herself, with her left foot firmly in front and her right one behind. He moved on from looking at her stance to what she was doing with the rest of her body. Although her feet weren't moving, she was doing something he would never forget: In her hands was _spinning fire? _

He watched, transfixed as she threw it around her body defensively and brilliantly executed a roundhouse kick whilst they were in the air before catching the fire once more. The foot she kicked with landed just outside of the circle she'd made so she repeated the move, only to perfect the previous style.

Wanting to see her technique better, he hopped down onto the next stone below and huddled behind one of the trees outlining the beach, sacrificing his clean hairstyle to see what was happening.

Just his luck: she stops. Panting and covered in sweat, the girl hunched over and grabbed her knees to take in a breath and regain her strength. Little did he know that she had been sparring for almost two hours straight and needed a quick break before she continued. The red blur that originally coated her wrists died down and she dropped them into the sand which hid their true form.

She walked around to her stone arena and fixed the rock ring, preparing it for the next day's training. Picking her weapons up again to leave, the commander saw that they were, in fact, pure metal, and it must have been exceedingly difficult to have thrown them around for the length of time that she had.

"Amazing," He rasped, shocked at how someone could have so much control and accuracy.

"_Amazing"_

A whisper was heard amongst the shrubbery and rocks that surrounded the island and, using the ground and Aang's previous Earthbending tips, I could locate where it came from with ease.

I didn't know what came over me, whether it was a defence mechanism or just being brash, but the movements I made were too quick to comprehend, even after I had done them.

In seconds, my wheels were lit and flying towards the intruder who shot up in surprise.

The man who I had seen on my first food outing was now as frozen as a figurine of Roku, with two spheres of fire spinning straight towards his chest. He manically readied into a stance to defend himself but I got there just a bit quicker and, using the flames surrounding the metal, I waved my hands downwards and stopped the projectile objects midair as fast as I possibly could.

_I almost killed a man._

I dropped the wheels by his feet wide eyed in shock and pulled my hands close to my chest. A million thoughts raced through my mind and I was afraid of hurting someone. I could've just accidently taken his life. _No..._

He was the first person that had seen me. _No, no, no! This isn't happening!_

I stepped back cautiously with my hands still tightly clutched by my heart, terrified to say or do anything else.

He ducked under a branch, held his hands up so signify his surrender and took an easy step forward to where the weapons had fell.

"I never saw you the last time I was here." He casually said, looking down, engrossed in the design of the items that almost killed him.

I never replied, mostly since I was too frightened to.

It was odd, I thought that meeting my first human would be a peaceful event, and there I was, backing away from someone trying to talk to me...great. In the absence of a reply, he looked up at my shaking gaze.

With a tedious eye, he studied my figure, looking my body up and down. He must have been in deep thought since he continued to stare for quite a while until he seemed to have a 'Eureka!' moment.

"I DO know you!" He practically shouted in surprise. "You were in the tree!" He lowered his arms and lifted a pointed hand in my direction with a grin across his face.

I continued to back away with eyes the size of the moon, not willing to speak to someone who just caught me training. He had also found me trespassing on sacred grounds, practicing bending outside of an actual arena and now, embarrassingly, being caught for previously hiding behind a bush.

As though he was surprised at his own actions, he coughed into his hand and straightened his back, pretending as if his outburst hadn't even happened.

"Hey..are, are you okay?" He asked, his stoic expression replaced by a look of concern.

I must've looked like a fool for cowering away and not responding to his actions. I decided to stop acting like a twit and I nodded my head. It must have been because of my nerves but the action was definitely done a bit too fast.

He leaned down and picked up the weapons that nearly decapitated him earlier and began moving closer. With each step he tilted the objects in a different direction, watching the sun glint off of the platinum.

In sync with his movements, I crept back to keep distance, only to be met with the side of the cliff, preventing me from getting further away. _Crap_

Whilst he was turning them around in his hands I couldn't help but notice how incredibly good looking I thought he was. _What? No! Don't think that! _ I guess I would though, especially when I had been raised around boys with multiple arms, heads or even wings. But besides good looks, he looked like..me.

_No! Now is not the time to be thinking like that..._

I focused my attention back to the person cautiously stepping closer.

_Those are mine_. I thought, thinking back to the possessions he now held.

He came nearer still, showing no fear or worry, and stopped around a metre away.

"I think these are yours?" He said, holding out the metal with one hand, gesturing for me to interact.

I looked from his open hand to his face, delving into the golden glow of his questioning eyes and then returned my gaze to what was mine.

Other than tilting my head at the man in confusion the rest of my body remained frozen in place. I didn't understand why he was so calm about the situation.

He laughed. "I'm General Iroh the second." He bowed, offering an introduction and obviously mistaking my confusion for curiosity.

The fact his name sounded familiar shocked me, leading me to wonder where else I had known him from.

I pressed my back harder into the wall behind me, feeling uncomfortable talking to someone, anyone, for that matter.

"But just call me Iroh." He continued, lifting the wheels up higher to get me to take them.

Feeling less awkward about it, I grabbed the objects in one quick swipe and held them behind my back for my own sake rather than his.

_I can't believe I almost KILLED him earlier!_

I nodded, signalling thanks and still preventing myself from speaking. I don't know why, but ever since I can remember, I have never been good when it comes to socialising. Unless I am introduced to someone I daren't say a word.

The only reason I even said Hello to Aang was because my parents trusted him so I did too. Here, there was a stranger talking to me, handing me things and, to make it worse, he was almost another _species_ entirely!

He moved his hand to rub the back of his head and looking to the ground, feeling awkward about the silence, acting like he wanted to say something else or wait for me to speak instead.

"Evelyn." I whispered, allowing him this small piece of information about me, he at least deserved it.

His eyes shot back up to meet mine and a smile stretched across his face as he lowered his hand to his side.

"Evelyn." He repeated with a nod. "You don't talk much." Raising an eyebrow, he walked over to a spirit vine and sat down. "How come I never got to meet you before?"

I raised an eyebrow questioningly, wondering what he meant.

"You were at the greeting ceremony, right?" I didn't know what to say or how to get out of the predicament I had found myself in, so I only shook my head.

"Ah..." Iroh murmured as he looked off into the distance.

I shifted in place, hoping he took that as a sign that I was uncomfortable talking and moved my gaze down to the sand below my feet. _I need to leave..._

"I don't bite, you know." He quipped, attempting to get me to talk. I would have to admit, I thought that the longer I was with him, the more I tried to convince myself that I could talk to him freely.

I looked up to the tower I had been recently staying in and then back down at my company. I just shrugged again, not relaxed in the slightest.

"I never knew there was a Firebending teacher on the island." He cocked his head to the side in curiosity and never faltered his gaze. I could practically see the suspicion radiating from his body when he mentioned what he'd seen me doing earlier.

I was determined to not give anything away about myself so I only offered a sideward's shaking of my head. Turning my body to look out to sea, I watched the birds as their wings scraped across the waves, using them to provide a distraction from the current 'conversation.'

He rested his elbows on his knees and stared intently at my weapons. After a couple minutes of silence, he broke the tension.

"Who are you?"

_"Evelyn." _

"What is a Firebender doing hidden on a beach throwing around lethal metal objects?"

".." I didn't want to tell him, he was a stranger! This man was the first person I had met here and he already doubted my intentions. _Great. Just great._

**_'You can trust him. He is a friend.' _**Aang imputed, making my quiet self think over my decision to tell him or not.

"Sparring...I was sparring." I looked dejectedly to the ground where I placed my wheels down and rubbed my arms, hating that he had seen me practising one of my secret talents.

"I noticed that." He scooted over closer to me and I did my best to refrain from giving eye contact. "I need to know _why_."

I sighed. "To train." Looking over at him, I saw that he was listening in to my every word, no longer looking suspicious, but with an inquisitive stare that did little but remind me of Aang's childish behaviour.

"For what?"

_Seriously, how many questions does he want to ask me!?_

"To help Korra." I admitted, barely making a noise as though it was a shameful secret. It probably sounded foolish to say aloud, but it was the utter truth.

His reply was a faint chuckle to himself which was confusing, seeing as though I was being honest. He continued giggling to himself for some unknown reason before I cleared my throat to remind him of my presence.

He stopped jesting around and returned to our conversation.

"Wait, you're being serious?" He squinted his eyes, moving closer still until we were almost touching knees.

"I don't doubt your talents, but she is the _Avatar, _no offense, but what could you do to help?"

"I have knowledge." I stated simply. "Ask me anything about the Avatar and I could answer." I spoke in my usual tone, rising up from the whispers I had been giving him before.

Happy with my response, I waited for him to think of something to reply with.

"She _is_ the Avatar, she would already know that." He said, leaning backward to a more casual position.

He was beginning to annoy me: A man in uniform was questioning me about my intentions and when he is told, he refuses to accept the answer.

"It's more wisdom than knowledge, really." I said in a whimper-like tone, feeling rejected by his laughing and disapproval, not that it even mattered to him.

I moved my vision to the grains of sand by my feet and shifted them around with my black, flat shoes and started nervously drawing patterns. I felt as though I was being judged by the General next to me. He seemed too quiet to be thinking and I could feel his gaze burning into the side of my face.

I was asocial, and that was a problem. It meant that I could talk to others if I wanted to but I preferred not. I find it hard. I'm not shy, just quiet and awkward around others and it was certainly showing in my current situation.

"So the physical side is just as an emergency backup?" He questioned, being much more reserved though, wondering whether this was true or if I would be a threat to him and his men.

I nodded and picked my wheels up from the floor, feeling how heavy they were in my palms, being careful not to scratch my forearms in the process.

"I can help you, you know." He stood up. "I have capable trainers on my ship that could be of some use to you." He walked in front of me and crouched down to eye level. "I can take you to Korra."

He was being generous but I already had a way of getting there by the vines, I didn't _need him._

**_'Having friends that also have connections to Korra prove you are there to help, not threaten."_**

I hated it when the Avatar was right, but I knew he was telling the truth.

I nodded and stood up. He copied my actions as he extended his hand out.

"I just need your trust in return." I looked at his hand, bewildered by the action. What was I to do? Being the ever helpful conscience, Aang showed me an image of two people holding hands sideways. It looked odd but was apparently a way of greeting someone.

I copied the action and stiffly shook his arm and he only responded with a raised eyebrow and quirky grin. _I seem to have a habit of leaving with strangers_ I thought.

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Hope you liked it! Longest chapter yet and Evelyn finally spoke to someone else! There wasn't much action happening here but it should hopefully be the build up to a better chapter in the future :c)


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer- I do not own LoK :(

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I had left Iroh to continue with his affairs on the island, since that was his original purpose, and went to collect my things. The staff wasn't something I was keen on but I was still attached to it for some reason (probably Aang messing with my head) so I prepared to leave with it.

The only possessions I owned were the wheels, staff, box and note from my parents and then the clothes on my back. Packing was simple enough.

Using Earthbending, I walked through the hole in the wall and then proceeded to close it up, leaving little trace of anyone leaving or entering at all. The same process was repeated down on the beach where I evened out the sand and removed the stones that I had used as a makeshift arena.

It wasn't long until the General came to collect me from the spirit vine we had had our conversation on the day before.

"Evelyn, are you ready to leave?" He asked, hopping down from the rocks like steps that hid the cove and walking towards me.

I nodded, standing up from where I was sitting and picked the staff up from its resting place by my feet.

We walked side by side for a bit until we reached the stones that would lead us up to the 'boat' he said he had prepared. I could've just Airbended my way up and avoided any unnecessary climbing but I didn't want to reveal any of the magic-y stuff to anyone just yet.

So, with clumsy actions and two left feet, I crawled my way up the boulders, using the staff as a hiking stick for support.

_Why couldn't he have seen me Earthbending or Airbending? Could have made this TEN times easier! Stupid rocks..climbing with this stupid stick..because I shot stupid fire at that stupid sneak over there..._

Looking up and coming out of my pathetic rant, I saw the palm of a hand offered in my direction. I lifted my head and was met by Iroh's reassuring gaze. Hesitantly, I took his hand as he hoisted me up and took the staff from my hands to make getting to my feet a bit easier.

Once I found my balance we headed back on our way, rounding the corner and stepping foot onto the docks. I hadn't been able to see this part of the temple since it was down on the south shore and I had arrived in the upper courtyard.

I was mesmerized.

Bustling around were men all dressed in red clothes, some more formal than others. It was clear that Iroh was the leader since he had golden patterns stitched onto his collar and the way he held himself was very, very different compared to the others around us.

I would admit that being around the General meant that the nervous and jittery reactions were only renewed. The novelty of being around normal people was astounding and seeing so many of them laughing and working and chatting was something that I yearned for myself.

"Sir, you ready to set sail?" An older man asked. He looked around my Father's age but almost twice my size with muscles to match.

I didn't want to be seen by this stranger so, as if on instinct, I hid...

...behind Iroh.

He didn't really seem too concerned with having a girl half hidden behind his back. To someone that didn't know what was going on, you would've thought I was hugging his shoulder instead of trying to keep as far away from that _beast_ of a man as I could.

"Yes, tell the Captain to head towards Republic City," Iroh commanded. With a salute, the large man strode towards the metal machine and began yelling at the others on board.

"Oh and Shóu!" The older man stopped walking and turned to face our direction. "Prepare one of the spare rooms. We will be having a guest." He nodded in understanding and left on his way.

As he left, My 'protector' looked over his shoulder to encourage me back out. No longer afraid of being mauled by one of the men, I began to emerge from my hiding spot and stood independently on his left.

A couple moments after Shóu had left Iroh and I followed behind and boarded the 'boat.' Once we were standing on the metal deck, everything seemed to slow down. I was amazed at how this very heavy contraption could stay afloat in the water without beginning to sink. What made it even more amazing was that there were others unfazed with the fact that we were floating!

I was peering down at my feet in amazement when my name was called. I looked up. The General was on the other side of the metal machine and was positioned next to the scary man who was atop a raised platform.

"Would you like to meet my men?" He said with a stern expression, clearly only there to assert his authority. I only proceeded to nod.

_I hope they'll be nice, or at least civil. Either would be a great start..._

"This is Shóu, you met him earlier. He takes my orders to all of the others on the ship, including the Captain." Iroh was turning to face the man he was mentioning who only crossed his arms in reply. He eyes looked tired and weak yet, physically, he seemed strong and capable, an unusual aspect.

I bowed to him and looked over the railing to all the workers busying around to prepare for sailing.

"OFFICERS!" Iroh bellowed with his hands behind his back.

Everyone that I could see stopped talking in an instant and each pair of eyes drew in on their leader, awaiting the instructions soon to follow.

"We have a new member of our crew and I expect you to treat her as such!" He yelled, not being quite as loud now that he had their full attention. I looked down to the floor in embarrassment as all the gazes moved from my companion to me, leaving my cheeks with a light tinge of pink. _Great..._

He turned back around to his right hand man. "Take over my watch, I will show our newest addition to her quarters." I snapped my head up when he mentioned that I was an addition. I was actually part of a group of people. They still hadn't realised that I wasn't fully human, but at that moment, it didn't matter to either them or me.

Keeping pace, I descended the stairs behind Iroh, keeping my eyes to the back of his feet, still with a tint of red on my cheeks. We entered a small door, just high enough to walk through without slouching, and went down even more stairs to reach a long corridor.

"The rooms to the left are the dining and kitchen areas, and to your right are the men's sleeping quarters," he said, using his hands as a rough guide. "As you are a woman, it is unkempt to keep you among such conditions; you will stay in one of the guest rooms ahead."

Continuing, we reached the end of the corridor that only had four doors and the one to the furthest left belonged to me now. With a nod of his head and a small smile, the General opened the metal lock to reveal a grand bedroom covered in Fire Nation reds and gold. Flowers decorated the edges and candles were the only source of light available.

"Thank you," I said, extremely happy with where I would be staying.

The two of us wandered in and he showed me to the side of the room where a private bathroom was hidden behind a scarlet curtain.

"I hope you feel comfortable here," he bowed. "If you ever need me, I'm two doors down."He smiled.

"Really, thank you. Being here is quite daunting," I half chuckled, hoping that he would understand.

He laughed back. "After seeing you fight, I think you're more capable than some of my best men!"

Before stopping in the doorway, Iroh began to leave. "Dinner is at six, I will send someone to show you the way."

Turning, he hesitantly placed the staff he had been holding for me to rest on the wall by the entrance. "It's a very intricate replica. Too light for my tastes though."

He shut the door behind him as he left.

"It's no replica," I murmured into thin air.

Training started at six and after digging nosily around the room, I had found plenty of spare clothes and towels just in case I needed them. I concluded that I should probably change to prevent my clothes from getting unnecessarily dirty from practice.

I rummaged around some more and found spare bindings and black shoes similar to my own. I took a bath, got changed and cleaned my regular clothes, (Rather, laid my outfit on the floor and burst warm air at it.) To help with swinging around and blowing things up, I also decided to tie my hair up.

Feeling fresh and tidy, I left the room and wandered the iron corridors, hoping to find the entrance shown to me the previous day. Turning a corner, I found two double doors with shouts and voices squeezing out from the other side. _Ah, finally, this must be it._ With a push, I nudged the doors open only to realise that this was _not_ the right room.

_"Does this look like a fucking wrench to you!?" _A man yelled over the sound of thundering engines. Moments later, a small metal object flies over the room, bouncing off of different machines and walls.

_"No! That's because you need a welding tool!"_ His friend screamed back.

_"You moron! I'm a fucking firebende-" _Not wanting to become part of the argument, I left the maintenance room, hearing the shouts muffled by the quickly closed doors.

I followed the corridor some more until I finally found the right place that wouldn't lead me to screaming, swearing engineers and instead, outside.

It was colder today since my newer outfit had must less layers; it only really consisted of an old tunic knotted at the bottom over spare black leggings. Nevertheless, I moved out into the centre of the main deck where the crew used the open space as a sparing ring only to be met by Shóu.

"Hey kid, you ready for your first lesson?" He grunted with his arms crossed over his chest.

In response, I bobbed my head and moved into the middle of the ring where the men had paused their fighting.

"I don't understand why Boss wants you to fight... but we will start with basics first," he moaned, still without lowering his arms. With large, clumpy steps, Shóu followed me to the centre and motioned for some of the surrounding men to join us.

Being the blunt yet silent person I was, I refused to say anything about my skills and hoped that by keeping it all a secret, I would learn a new technique or two that I could implement into my fights. I got into the slightly crouched stance and kept a keen eye on each of the officers that had recently joined us.

"Are you sure that's enough?" I could hear Iroh shouting from his post with a grin smacked on his face.

_Is he talking to me or Shóu? I guess I could take down three men if I needed too but I haven't trained with real people yet._

**_'Focus on their stances, Evelyn. Remember how people stand before they execute certain moves.'_**  
Aang was back!  
But in all seriousness, I began to look at the way that the men had their hands and feet. For example, I could see that one had his foot further back than the others, meaning he was more likely to perform a kick to start off.

"Oh we'll be just fine!" Shóu glared at me with a smirk. "This beginner couldn't knock us over even if she tried!"

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Sorry that it's a little late this time, but I finally got it posted :) I have a great idea in mind for next week, so review and tell me what you think!


	10. Chapter 10

1000 views! Thank you everyone! Hope you enjoy:

sophiathesofa- I am glad you could read some more! I think you will very pleased with the fight's outcome...;)

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_"Oh we'll be just fine!" He glared at me with a smirk. "This beginner couldn't knock us over even if she tried!"_

Next thing I knew there where legs and arms punching out in all directions. The voice in my head was telling me to duck and swerve, to kick and twist, but I knew that no matter what I did I would end up losing control of my bending.

In previous training sessions I had gotten angry with myself or become too absorbed in a fight. The only thing that it lead to was a whirlwind of devastation that erupted out of nowhere. Being on a boat meant that I preferred staying as dry as possible without being scorched alive...

I dodged an incoming leg and avoiding getting a face full of foot. With my torso safe from being hit, I reached out and grabbed the same persons other leg and pulled to knock them down. Moving quickly, I jumped up and caught an incoming fist, turned their whole arm around to their back and pushed them away. So far, only two of them were down.

Looking up, I watched as the one I had knocked over limped away towards the growing spectators and the other turned back around. I noticed this one to be none other than Shóu. I resumed the defensive stance to show I was not planning on breaking anyone's nose (not that they thought I could) and raised my hands up to my face.

"Are you _sure_ you don't need more men?" Iroh laughed from his post with a smug look painted over his face. "She'll kick your ass!"

I couldn't help but grin at the last comment and I raised my fists slightly higher as an invitation for the man to through a punch. Just as I thought, he brashly swung for my side but I slid out of the way just in time for him to miss. With his left side open, I lifted my leg and swiftly kicked him below the ribs, causing my opponent to topple and fall. To ensure my victory, I stood over his fallen form and posed into a stance, ready to attack should he have gotten up to continue the fight.

For the next two months I was routinely trained with more and more people being added to the fights. Each time the day would leave me sweating and panting, desperate for a drink and a long, _long_ nap. I had even learnt the ship inside and out during my nightly wanders and grew closer to some of the crew on board.

During our travels, we had made plenty of stops at friendly villages to stock up on supplies and even made a visit to one of the other Air Temples along the way. Each time was a good chance to analyse the way people worked and talked depending on where they were from. I also noticed how people were more likely to have certain traits depending on their heritage.

I changed into my more comfortable and baggy training gear, ready for the days tiring work and made my way out to the practise ring.

"It looks like our General wants some new competition!" My trainer yelled, cheering along with the growing crowd. "So Evelyn, you ready for some _real_ fighting?"

Scanning the ring, I saw that Iroh had changed into more casual clothes and stood in a heavy stance on the opposite side to me. As if on cue to my questioning glance, he lit his fists in a ball of fire and smirked.

"I thought you might be a bit bored of beating my excuse of a crew." He jested, laughing and nudging the man closest to him jokingly.

I copied the way he stood and watched the way his feet were positioned. The scariest thing about the situation was that I although I had some training when it came to actual bending, I had no clue how this man fought, especially if he had a unique style.

**'It's ok Evelyn, we can help with this.' **Roku spoke, the voice reverberating throughout my whole body.

I burst my palms with fire and focused only on heat, banishing the thoughts of wind, water and earth entirely and gave a smirk in return.

In graceful yet strong movements, my opponent waved his arms around into a pattern I was familiar with, knowing this, I ducked down quickly to avoid the fireball flying in my direction. On my way up I shot three small yet concentrated bursts at him, aiming for his head, chest and stomach. He twirled out of the way and swiped his leg over the ground, leaving a wall of thin flames crawling towards my legs. I leaped up and kicked on my descent to hit him directly, landing a blow on the side of his shoulder.

"Very good," He grunted as he sat up. I moved over to him and offered a hand to help him stand for the next round. He grasped my forearm but instead of standing, he pulled me down and flipped us over so he had me pegged beneath him. "But you let your guard down." He smirked with his face incredibly close to mine.

To counter his hold on me, I wrapped my legs around his waist and without taking my sight off of his now wide eyes I switched our positions so I was now on top. "You underestimate me." I breathlessly grinned as I lifted myself off of his still form and brushed the dirt from my sweaty clothes.

"Sir! The radar has detected a formation of torpedoes heading in this direction!" My head snapped up and a man was leaning over the railing shouting all of this information to my defeated partner who was now rushing up the steps to the Captain's cabin. I dashed down into my room as quick as I could, grabbed my fire wheels and ran back out to prepare for what was inevitably coming.

When I returned I saw that there were crew members evenly spaced out around the outside of the main deck holding tight to the guns that poked out of the side of the boat.

"Waterbenders!" Iroh yelled. "Try and direct them off course!"

Around four men and a woman stood poised at the end of the ship and performed synchronised movements to move the water together. After a short time they relaxed and one shouted over that they had managed to shift the weapons out of harm's way.

_BAM!_ A large rumble shook the deck and the sound of collapsing metal creaked throughout the air, causing some people to fall and regain their balance. Iroh wasted no time in making his next move.

"You," he pointed to the waterbenders from before. "I need you to keep the water out!" With their orders, the five ran down through the underpasses of the ship to get to where the damage was.

"The rest of you, prepare for battle!" He roared, raising his fists in the air and bathing in the sound of his crew's cheers. "Shóu, Ronny, Evelyn, you are to all come with me."

After they had collected their tools and weapons, I followed the three men towards where you would usually board the vessel and looked warily down to the sea below.

"What's the plan, boss?" The larger man inquired with his arms no longer crossed over his chest. Ronny nodded and was stood in between the other two. I had usually only seen him by the captain's side rather than during a fight.

"Those torpedoes must've come from somewhere meaning that we will more than likely have company arriving soon," he explained, waving his arms around to show his point. "We are to board the other ship, should it appear, and destroy our enemy from the inside."

Honestly, the plan made perfect sense. By having the better fighters go in head first it meant that the more technical members could get to work on keeping everyone afloat.

Approaching at break neck speeds, two slightly smaller war ships grew nearer and nearer with every second. Erupting from one of the opposing vehicles was a massive ball of earth that catapulted rapidly through the air.

"FIRE!" The captain yelled, causing all of the machines on the side of the ship to fire. Streams of light shot onto the missile of rock and incinerated what was there, creating a shower of remaining dirt to rain upon the ocean.

More balls of earth made it from the other ships and with each shot the boats grew closer until it was finally near enough for the enemy to lower a metal bridge to board.

Before the other men could even make it over, the four of us bounded towards them and attacked with full force. Using his massive arms, Shóu crushed a man's head and Ronny used his slender figure to disarm and avoid all the blows aimed at him. Both Iroh and I had fists full of flames, ready to strike anyone who stood in our path. All four of us dispatched officer after officer in waves until only the captain and earthbenders at the end of the ship remained.

"You three take care of the benders!" The general shouted to us over the noise of explosions as he raced off in the opposite direction, going for the leader.

The remainder of us ran for the groups of people controlling the piles of rocks being thrown towards our ship. I bounded behind a woman and used my elbow to swiftly knock her out when she wasn't looking whilst my teammates fought two others. I dodged a disk of stone, careful not to instinctively bend it away, and threw a ball of fire at my attacker. I watched as the largest of our group lifted one man straight up and dump him directly overboard into the raging waves below.

With all of our opponents knocked out or overboard, we all looked to one another and nodded in thanks and victory. We returned to the main area of the ship and met up with Iroh who stood proudly.

"Good job. I'll get Mung to grab any spare parts he might need." We made our way back to the battleship and the dirty man to walk by us was none other than the swearing mechanic I had heard on my first day.

It was dark by now and most of the people working on deck were preparing to settle for the night other than those working on repairs. I continued behind Iroh as he wondered down to his room which just happened to be on the same level as my own.

To anyone just watching, you would have seen nothing wrong, but after being around this man for two months you tend to pick up on a few habits. One of them didn't include the slight limp of his right leg and the bead of sweat trickling down the side of his face.

I surprised him and myself by placing a hand on his shoulder which caused the man to turn in confusion and stare straight at me. I still refused to utter a word but raised an eyebrow in question and looked down to his lightly placed leg.

"It's nothing-" he started as I placed a hand on my hip_._ To prove me wrong he added the rest of his weight to his right leg and discretely placed a hand on his abdomen- which he obviously thought I couldn't see.

"See?" Without warning, I reached forward and snatched his hand away from his stomach and could clearly see the red beginning to darken his training gear. I looked back up to his guilty face and silently scolded him for lying about such an injury.

"Evelyn- It doesn't hurt, honest." In reply to his excuse I directly poked the red area and watched his pained expression as he began to breathe heavily. I proceeded to tilt my head. _Told you so..._

"I'll get the doctor." I stated simply, turning to leave until Iroh quickly grabbed my hand to stop me in my tracks. I turned in confusion and watched as he bowed his head, still not letting go of my hand.

"He's tending to the injured." He replied quietly. I twisted my entire body until I faced him fully and used my free hand to point at his injuries.

"The doctor," I said urgently, trying to make him understand that he was bleeding heavily and needed medical advice.

"Fine, but my men come first." He stated, final with his decision as he released my hand and struggled to walk back to his chambers.

I jogged up to where he was and realised that there was still a set of steps to go down and another corridor before he could rest.

"Here," I said as I grabbed his arm and put it around my neck, making him lean half of his weight onto me. We walked the rest of the way and I tried as best as I could to make the journey easier for him. I finally reached his door and kicked it wide open for us both to get through.

Letting go of me, the General hobbled to his bed and kicked off his boots, wincing at the harsh movement.

Inside, I wanted to help. I wanted to use the skills my mother had shown me, but that would require water bending and I knew that I couldn't show him that. _But what if he didn't see?_ No. I couldn't take that risk. The inner turmoil I was going through was frustrating and I ended up doing what I thought was the right thing to do.

"I can help." I whispered, putting my head down and avoiding his suddenly intense gaze.

"You know medical?" He questioned, furrowing his brows and squinting his eyes. For the whole time I had been on the ship, I had never mentioned my past and I kept myself to myself, even with Iroh.

"Just lay down." I waved, shooing him to do as I said. I held up a finger, ran out of the room, slid into my own chambers, grabbed the herbs I had bought at one of the villages and ran back.

In the split moment that I was gone, Iroh had managed to lie on his bed and relax a bit. I placed my bag down by his side and filled a spare bowl with water and moved it onto the bedside table.

With gentle fingers, I rolled up his tunic to reveal a stab wound that wouldn't be fatal, but could only get worse if left untreated. Dried blood coated his top so pealing it away from the skin was a delicate procedure where I used warm water to make it easier.

I washed my hands in the bowl by the bedside and used an old yet clean rag to wash the injury. With soft dabs I managed to soak up all of the dirt and blood from his skin and I even placed a flannel of cool water over his forehead to help with the growing fever.

After rummaging through my herb bag, I found the right plant leaves that I needed and crushed them into a powder. Adding some palm oil, I rubbed the mixture straight into the cut, earning a few curses from my childish patient. From what I had learnt from my mother, this concoction numbed pain and reduced the chances of infection; Iroh must've been feeling the effects since he started to sit up. With a rough hand I shoved his chest back down onto the bed to keep him still whilst I moved onto the next step.

I got up and refilled the bowl with fresh and cool water that I would soon be using to heal the sick man.

"I never knew you could perform herbal remedies." Iroh mumbled, placing one of his arms over his eyes lazily. I sat back at the side of the bed and pushed his tunic further up, trying to avoid staring at the muscles I had revealed.

"Not many people do."I muttered, trying to be discrete about what I could and couldn't do. "Could you close your eyes?"

I was nearing the point where I would have to bend and that was something I would rather keep him from seeing.

"Sure but why?" He asked as he moved his hand away from his face, obviously curious about the odd request.

"I was taught to do it like this." I lied, shrugging my shoulders and muttering for him to just close them. Once I was sure he couldn't see, I dipped my hands into the ordinary water and urged my spiritual essence into the liquid, causing it to glow brightly blue. Once the exchange was complete, I could move onto the next step, no matter how drained I now felt.

I could vividly remember being scolded as a child for drinking the wrong water. There would be the type you could heal with, appropriately named spirit water, and the other was used for daily needs. My mother even taught me how to use my energy flow to make the magical water I was currently using and also told me all about the risks that came with it.

Scooping the liquid into my hands, I bended a perfect ball of shining essence over to Iroh who waited obediently on the bed. I could feel his whole body relaxing and losing tension once the healing had begun. I weaved the water in and out of the cut, letting his body absorb the properties it contained.

Once the whole process was finished, I wrapped a thin bandage over the area since the broken skin was now closed and almost fully healed. I tapped Iroh's arm to signal that I was done and stood to fetch a clean tunic, yawning as I did so.

As I turned to fetch the clothes I could hear the general behind me sitting up to inspect the job I had done. Returning, I couldn't help but smile at the bewildered face he was making at my handiwork.

"How did you-" He began to talk before gesturing wildly to the fixed area on his side. I walked sleepily around the room and tidied away the tools and bags I had left scattered about and went to leave the room.

"I have my ways." I smiled tiredly.

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Wow, a lot of action, I know...

We have reached the 10th chapter and so far, Evelyn still hasn't met Korra; I have a feeling that this story will be a long one! :c)

But seriously guys, I had ONE review last chapter and I am sad :(

I want to know whether you like this story or not, or if you have any ideas of what is coming next...then tell me!

See you again next week :c)


	11. Chapter 11

A giant, massive, huge, explosive thank you to everyone that reviewed! I really like knowing how well I write and from what I have read, everything seems to be ok! I would also like to say cheers to the people that have this story on their favourites! I am feeling generous today so this is a THANK YOU to just about everyone on this wonderful (yet sometimes worrying) website :c)

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The next couple of days were uneventful and only really consisted of repairs and doctor checkups. Luckily for me, Iroh never mentioned the healing to anyone else so I had no need to worry about risking my secrets around the other crew members. Some did, however, question why I was sleeping and resting for the following two days. I had no need to tell them how I used my very essence to heal a good friend, so naturally, I didn't feel great afterward.

According to some of the other officers, we were only a couple hours away from Republic City and our first stop would be on Air Temple Island. I didn't understand why there was an island secluded for one nation right beside a whole area that held a mixture of all bending abilities. And how come it wasn't just another temple like the others I had visited?

In my head, I noticed that Aang had a particularly strong connection to this area and from listening to all of his stories at night I had a feeling that this was where his family resided.

I stood by the side of the boat and happily stared out to the horizon where towers and bridges would soon come into view. I could begin to see the peak of a building was appearing and I rested my arms on the railing, thinking about all of the people I was soon to see.

"You ready to meet her?" Shóu approached, keeping his gaze out to sea. During our weeks together I had grown rather attached to the man, learning that he had children and a loving wife. He himself was leaving to live with them and retire after the year had ended.

"I don't know," I shrugged unsurely. I didn't even know if she would be happy with my help. I may be deemed untrustworthy or even just ignored entirely. Of all the possibilities, I just wished that Korra would understand that my intentions were pure.

"LAND AHEAD!" Ronny yelled from the Captain's cabin, causing most of the men off duty to walk over to the edge and take a look for themselves. "TWENTY MINUTES TILL WE DOCK!"

I manoeuvred through the men to get to the door leading inside and walked down to my room. I sat silently down onto the bed and took a good look around at the golden furnishings that I would soon be leaving behind. I had already packed my things and was changed in my usual outfit, ready to explore the new city.

"You can stay, if you want." Iroh appeared, leaning against the doorway with a sad smile that mirrored my own. He had tried to convince me to stay before; he even went as far as saying how I was one of his best soldiers.

I stood and walked over to where he was stood. "She needs my help." I whispered, wanting to stay without outright saying so, but I knew I couldn't.

"She's doing fine at the minute, she can manage." He pleaded, moving to hold onto my shoulders. A blush crept onto my cheeks from the close contact and I looked away. Shaking my head, I turned back to look into his eyes.

"There are things that even you don't understand going on." I wanted to show him everything, to tell him everything I knew. In my mind, it wasn't the best thing to go through with, but I needed an ally I could trust entirely without fault. Throughout my journey, this man was the closest thing I had to a friend. He deserved to know.

"Tell me what's happening then." He placed his hands onto my cheeks and begged for answers in a hushed tone.

From in between where we stood, I produced a small ball of air that circulated around my palm and held it up to his face with an awkward smile.

"I'm not who you think I am." I shamefully admitted, letting a tear slid down my cheek. Iroh's hands fell limply from my face as he stared at the element in from of him as it dissipated.

As if sudden sense was kicked into him, he pushed me forward and slammed the door shut behind us. I fell back onto the bed and sat up, wondering what on Earth he could be thinking.

"You are exactly who I think you are!" He said, moments away from shouting. His hair was dishevelled and the neat and serious side was almost completely gone from everywhere but his eyes. He quietened his voice and continued. "You couldn't trust me? I thought that was part of our deal!"

I was ashamed, and his words rang true, but there was no way I could come completely clean in a matter of minutes. He continued to stare at me with betrayal as I thought of an answer when truthfully, there wasn't one.

**_'Tell him Evelyn. He is a friend, he should understand,' _**Aang encouraged me, showing me visions of Iroh saving Korra and helping poor citizens.

"I was scared." I admitted, keeping my sight on the ground. "I'm not from here." My voice was low and quite, almost a whimper. I thought back to the first time I had met him and how nervous I was around my first human contact.

He nodded, mistakenly taking my meaning as something else. "It's a lot to take in if you aren't from the main islands." I just weakly chuckled at that._ If you count the planet as an island, then yea, I guess you would be right._

Ronny showed up at the door and apologised for barging in but let us know that we were five minutes until reaching land. We thanked him and he went on his way. Iroh turned to face me and gave a strained smile.

"How about I walk you to meet Tenzin? I've already informed him of your arrival and he is intrigued to meet you. "He winked, stood and held out a hand. I gladly accepted both the help and offer, thinking that I could use the time to further explain things to him in detail.

I left the room that I had grown so used to and followed my current boss out and off of the boat. We stood at the base of a grand hill that looked out onto the ocean and the coastal edge of the large city ahead. It was just like one of the other Air temples but in miniature, more like a villa than a large tower. There seemed to be loads of winding steps that lead up to the top and luckily I had a friend by my side to take me the whole way.

"So let me get this straight, you can bend Air too?" He looked puzzled and quirked an eyebrow. I just laughed in response and nodded. He was taking the revelation pretty well.

As we walked a little more ahead, I discretely looked around and saw that the path we were now on was secluded by the hill and no onlookers were present. With a quick flick of my wrist I shot a small rock right to the centre of Iroh's forehead and caused the most disgusted look I had ever witnessed on his face. I continued to mask my giggles and whilst he twirled around, looking for the source like the ever vigilant man he was, I shot another stone to hit his backside.

"What the-" I burst out in hysterics at how the usually serious man was now rubbing his bottom with a pout. "You!" He leant down and picked up a pebble and threw it at me as though we were play-fighting. To demonstrate what else I could do, I bent his rock mid air and let it suspend inches away from my face.

My cheeky smile grew and Iroh only became more and more shocked as he began to realise just what was happening. I spun the object in my palm and weaved it through my fingers a couple of times before shooting it straight back at him to diffuse the tension.

"Wait, so..three.."He was counting on his fingers the different elements he had seen me bend. "Let me guess, water too?" It almost looked as though he thought it was all a big joke until I grinned and his face fell.

"Why do you think I told you to close your eyes when I healed you?" I raised an eyebrow and smiled. Recognition hit him like a bolt of lightning as he stood up straighter and he automatically touched where he had been stabbed.

"But Korra's the Avatar…"Iroh began until I held up a hand for him to pause. _Come on Aang, how am I supposed to explain this? _I thought, trying to figure out what I was going to tell him without it sounding like a fairy tale.

"This staff," I lifted it slightly off of the ground as I explained, "is not a replica."

My companion seemed slightly off put by what I was telling him and looked disbelievingly at the item I held.

"In a sense, I am another Avatar." I chuckled nervously, twirling the staff around. "That's why I wanted to help her."

"You mean..you…how did…never mind… You're still the same Evelyn I have learnt to..care for." He looked down shyly, which was odd compared to his usual stoic self. I blushed and kept quiet, not too sure how to reply.

The rest of the journey was spent with me filling the man in on all of the little details that he had missed out on. I told him about why I was at the Southern Air temple and the reason behind wanting to help Korra. He finally got the reason why I was eager to come with him and why I was desperate to meet the current Avatar. I also, however, kept the spirit side to myself, keeping that part _way_ out of the conversation: it would only make things more difficult.

We made it up to the final steps and I could already see the gazebos and training arenas scattered over the large courtyard. Under one of the smaller huts, a man was sat in a peaceful meditation with three children in similar positions behind him.

The general and I walked quietly towards them and Iroh was the first to call out.

"Master Tenzin, I am sorry to interrupt."

Tilting his neck and loosening his sitting position, the man opened one eye and looked over to where we were standing. Once he saw who it was he stood and walked over to greet us properly, leaving the children behind to peacefully relax.

The moment his full face came into view a wave of emotions flooded through me and images of a small baby being held in my arms appeared. The memories flicked faster in my mind and showed the young boy becoming a man. The scene ended with the older Tenzin sitting at the side of a bed, holding the occupants hand. The images faded to black and knowing that Aang was inside me, I understood the feelings I had towards his son.

I must've been in a complete daze because once I was back to the present the man in question was holding out a hand for me to shake and waiting patiently for me to do so. To cover up my mishap, I greeted him properly and even offered a bow in apology.

"So you must be Evelyn. Come, we must speak," he motioned for us to follow. The three of us continued down a long path that lead round to the entrance of the building. The whole time I was thinking how strange it was that I knew everything about Tenzin from the memories I now held. I couldn't help but realise that Iroh was watching his feet and taking a glance to my hands every so often.

When I had spoken about meeting Korra, Iroh had told me that she had personal connections to Tenzin and that it would be good for me and him to become well acquainted.

"So I hear that you wish to be a guide to the Avatar?" He stopped and questioned by the doorway, clearly curious as to why I was here with a United Nations General.

I nodded and began to speak, knowing that I could trust this Airbender with all my heart and mind. "I have knowledge she could put to good use."

"I see," he paused, "and how do you know it will be useful?"

I thought about what I could do to prove my worth and tried to add something about Aang or the past lives to prove my point. "Information was passed down to me from the previous Avatar." I said, looking over at Iroh who only offered a discrete grin. I turned back to Tenzin and awaited his reply.

"Avatar Aang?" He hushed, thinking back to his father. I nodded and smiled, letting him know that I was aware of their relation.

"Once you are ready, come in, come in. We must discuss this." The master of air rushed into his home and left Iroh and me outside to bid our farewells.

I turned away from the building and stood to face my first true friend here.

"This is it, huh?" He shrugged, stepping closer to me. We had grown so close and I wasn't quite sure what it was I felt for the man. Nights would be spent sitting up and talking about war stories and even the odd pillow fight. I couldn't tell if he liked me as much as I liked him, but I hoped one day we would see each other again.

"Thank you," I said quietly. "I don't know what I would've done if I hadn't met you." I looked up into his dark amber orbs and smiled sweetly. I didn't know what else to say and I had never been good at saying goodbye, so I turned and looked back at where I was to be staying for the next few weeks.

Grabbing my arm, Iroh made me turn back and we ended up even closer now. "I'll miss you, Evelyn." He mumbled with a sad smile. I felt my face blush but I couldn't look away, so I did what only came natural.

"I'll miss you too." I whispered, standing on my tip toes and planting a soft kiss on his cheek. I grinned more once I saw the deep crimson cover his face and he looked back down to me with soft features.

The next thing I knew, I was wrapped up in a tight embrace, with strong arms circled around my waist and shoulders. He was warm and I didn't want to leave so I returned the hug with equal force.

"I'll be back in a few weeks" he breathed in my ear, his breath tickling my neck. We separated but kept close and I looked up into his eyes for what might be the last time in months. We grew closer once more and the arms around my waist moved up to hold my neck and cup my red cheeks. "I'm glad I met you, Evelyn."

Smiling and turning away, I moved over to the door and looked back over my shoulder to see the army officer saluting. I returned the gesture, happy to be seen as a member of his crew.

_Until next time,_ I thought.

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I am so glad that I could finally post this chapter and let you guys witness Iroh's reaction! To bending! There was a bit of cute/fluffy stuff at the end there too so I hope you enjoyed ;)

Sadly, I will be updating late next week..but I have a valid excuse! Next Friday is PROM! Wooo!


	12. Chapter 12

Guest 1- I'm glad you like it!

Guest 2- My mouth is sealed, *zips lips* you won't get anything from me! Don't worry, the revelation about her version of the avatar state shouldn't be too far ahead….

Enjoy!

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Tenzin and I had spent the next few hours chatting about what the future would hold and I used the voice in my head (literally) to help give off a good yet truthful back story without giving too much away.

We had approached the topic of physical defence and he asked if I had a means to protect myself since the teenager I planned on helping apparently had a frequent habit of getting into trouble. After thinking of a good alibi, I chose to stick with the safest option to prevent any confusion between allies.

"I am quite a capable Firebender." I spoke with a nostalgic grin, remembering the repeated times I would knock Iroh on his ass. We had now returned outside and had made it to a peculiar contraption made up of wooden panels.

"I see, and what about your spiritual connections?" He wondered, looking suspiciously at the staff in my hands. I assumed that he was thinking about the air bending parts of things such as dodging and being gracefully calm. In my mind I could almost hear Aang laughing about the situation and did nothing to help in the slightest.

"I will admit that my patience is lacking." I shamefully admitted, reminiscing about the times when Aang would grow tired of me becoming distracted during our sessions. He turned to me and we had stopped walking by the entrance of the training arena and he gave me what he thought to be a serious stare. What he didn't know was that I could see the small twinkle in his eye.

"From what I have seen, you will need some additional training." He turned his head over to where the gazebos were and yelled, "MEELO! IKKI! JINORA!" Before turning back to face me with his droll stature returned.

In a matter of milliseconds, a boy, no older than nine, sped up to his father on a ball of air similar to what I had seen a younger version of Aang doing as a child. Promptly, he saluted both Tenzin and I whilst his siblings caught up.

The two girls arrived at the same time from above since they had glided over to where we were all now stood. Fond emotions fluttered through my body and I thought, _you miss them don't you?_

**_'More than you can imagine,' _**Aang murmured and I suddenly registered that he hadn't ever had the chance to meet his grandchildren before he passed away.

"These are my children," he said with a sigh as he watched the youngest pick his nose, "Kids," he turned and addressed them each by name; "this is Evelyn. She will be staying with us for a while."

I bowed to them in respect and smiled so show I was no threat, Meelo seemed less than interested whilst Ikki looked as though she was bursting with a hundred and one questions. The eldest, Jinora did nothing but stare inquisitively at me, clearly seeing something the others didn't.

**_'Jinora has an incredibly strong spiritual connection, it is possible that she see's your aura as one of a spirit."_** Aang said, answering my thoughts. I tilted my head in curiosity and moved over to look at Tenzin as he spoke of my future here on the island.

"If you are to stay in my home, then I want you to take a lesson from each of my older children," he gestured to each of them, "to learn patience and discipline, both of which will come in handy once you meet with Korra. Training will start after dinner, if you would like to join us." He said, slightly happier now he knew he could leave and get a nice meal.

All of us moved into the dining room where a low table sat in the centre of the room. I was greeted by Tenzin's wife, Pema who was busy preparing a meal with a wriggling baby in her arms. Noticing her struggle, I left the children with their father and offered a helping hand.

"Why thank you, dear. Do you mind holding Rohan for me?" She smiled, offering me the baby. I took the toddler in my arms, not too sure how to handle such a young human since I had never been around anyone similar. After a while of squirming, I finally got him to rest on my hip with his head by my shoulder.

I could see Tenzin watching unsurely in the corner of the room, unhappy with letting a stranger hold his youngest child as I bobbed Rohan a little to make him giggle and squeal. Drool covered my shoulder where I had provided a makeshift dummy but other than that, the little guy was quite pleasant.

"He likes you," Pema laughed as she set the plates down on the table. Once all of the food was placed and everyone was settled, I moved the baby into his high chair and returned to my seat.

The rest of the evening was calming and the food was delicious. I thanked Pema for the meal and packed my things in one of the spare rooms on the far side of the island. I didn't want to become a burden to the family and inhabiting Air Acolytes, so I preferred to stay somewhere secluded and quiet.

I lie peacefully on my simple bed and shut my eyes, quite happy just listening to the creatures hum and buzz outside. Even the air felt still and nothing had been just as serene since leaving my home. The plain walls and cold floors were not ideally welcoming, but I was content.

A knocking on my door surprised me, especially once it flew open and I was shocked to find Meelo shouting at the top of his lungs:

"UP AND OUT! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE LYING ABOUT?! IT'S TIME TO WORK, WOMAN!" The boy was now in the centre of the room with a headband on and fire in his eyes. This kid was **not **messing about.

I grabbed my staff and checked I had my wheels were with me before running outside with his loud orders. We made it to an empty part of the courtyard and as I stopped to catch my breath I looked over towards the mad kid who didn't even seem like he had moved a muscle.

"DON'T JUST STAND THERE! KICK! PUNCH! BACKFLIP! SHOW ME WHAT YA' GOT!" He yelled, wildly waving and punching his arms around.

I did what he asked and more, showing him just what I was capable of. Ruthlessly punching forwards, I spouted bursts of flames around the ring, stepping forward and kicked out on every second blast as I continued. Once I made it close to the edge, I twisted and used my elbow to efficiently spin around and provide a decent hit. The rest of the routine consisted of more kicks, twists and punches and I even added flips, jumps and full bending techniques. I had been well trained by a general and the wisdom of over one hundred _Avatars _for Spirit's sake, this brat better have been impressed!

I cared little for how scared the boy may have been since I was acting much like a monster. I finished the routine in a slouched stance with my arms slightly arched by my sides, heaving for energy to flood back into my veins.

By the end I was coughing to get air into my lungs and my legs felt as though they were burning. What I would have done to soak myself in water or blast some cooling air in my face…

"Not too shabby, if I do say so myself," he nodded, contemplating to himself with a hand stroking his imaginary beard. "I think you might already be ready to move onto Ikki." Clicking his fingers with his head held high, he pointed back to my room. "Leave… I have taught you well."

_But you didn't do anything…_

I slouched back across to my room, slid open the panel doors and crawled toward the bed, desperate for a long sleep before my body decided to give out. If the next day was going to be like that, then it would be tiring too.

Luckily for me, my training session with Ikki didn't start until noon, so I was able to have a lie in and still manage to fit a walk around the island in before lunch. Again, I helped by holding the baby and setting the table, both of which I didn't mind doing. Over the food the conversation turned to the lesson with Meelo the day before which only ended in being about the child bragging about what a good job he did.

"I know, I saw everything," Tenzin said, ruffling Meelo's short hair and giving me a '_play along'_ look. All I contributed was a laugh and knowing smile towards Pema who only giggled to herself at our silent jesting.

"So are you ready for your second lesson?" Pema asked kindly as I helped with the washing up.

I lowered the plate I was drying and replied, "I think so. I'm curious to know what I haven't already been taught before." She looked to me with a raised eyebrow, causing me to blush in embarrassment and continue."I..I mean…I'm sure there's plenty I don't know." I looked up expectantly and it dawned on me that I still hadn't explained properly. "Never mind….." I murmured, ashamed of the mistake.

Looking at me in amusement, the woman let out a chuckle and swatted me with a dish towel. "You come out with some interesting things, Evelyn."

Bustling over from her siblings, Ikki darted by my side, leaving a trail of fallen napkins where she had sped past.

"You ready?!" She squealed as I smiled, "I can't wait! Can you bend? How are you going to help Korra? Why did you come here? How do you know my Dad? Do you like me? You look strange, where are you from? How old are you? You look younger than Korra so I guess you must be around seventeen, eighteen maybe even the same age as Bolin, but you don't look you come from anywhere nearby so I don't think you will know who he i-"

"Shh, Ikki, indoor voice, okay?" Pema quietened the overly excited girl. Grabbing my hand, the child dragged me out of the door and I gave her mother and quirky grin and quick wave before being swiftly pulled away.

When I was no longer being forced out of the building and I noticed where I was, I saw that we had made it towards the training ring where, as Aang had informed me, was where trainees would learn to be swift; the ancient way.

"You will learn to become the leaf." Ikki bowed, moving her arms in a wiggling manner and throwing a ball of air into the contraption to make all of the panels twist and turn at alarming rates. Taking her time, she made her way in between all of the obstacles with one hand held in front to help with balance. I watched her technique as best as I could and recognised this game to be similar to one I had learn with Aang back at the Southern temple where I would weave in and out of the trees and bushes to keep my posture.

My trainer made it to the other side and quickly made the whole thing stop with a flick of her wrist.

"Now you try," She beamed, gliding back to the beginning and pushing me towards it "Just try not to burn it down, 'kay!"

In a split second the gates were winding around and I was being nudged nearer and nearer. I made it up to the steps and held my palm out to retain balance like what Ikki had just done. I took a deep breath and slid closer, avoiding the first panel swinging towards me and focused on the second one coming around. I positioned my foot to the left and twisted, feeling the air _woosh_ on the back of my neck.

_Close one, _I thought.

After taking my sweet time, I made it out the other side and was face to face with Ikki once more.

"That was great!" She grinned, "But try and go in a straight line next time," she countered, pointing to where I had made a U turn.

"Ugh," I sighed, going back up to the start and trying again, making it through but still not going straight ahead.

"Count the turns!" I could hear the girl yelling.

Too busy trying to listen, I lost concentration and forgot about the strong piece of wood that was heading straight for me. Looking back just in time, I twisted and was knocked straight out of the ring on my backside.

Hearing the laughs of various children, I scowled over my shoulder to the giggling acolytes who had seen the whole scene, instantly shutting them up.

After various more trials, I had done little to improve. I found that I could get to the other side…only… it took **ages** to do.

"We will practice more tomorrow," Ikki shrugged, "I need my beauty sleep!" She yawned, tiredly skipping away.

Although it was late, I wasn't quite ready to go to bed or rest; I had too many things to think about. Being a secret was hard and having to almost lie to a kind family didn't feel right. I walked over to the edge of the island closest to the courtyard and leaned on the railing.

**_'You are not lying, Evelyn, just avoiding the truth.'_**Aang imputed.

_And that makes me feel better?_ I wondered, knowing that truly, I just wanted to come clean and show everyone my true potential. I knew I couldn't, though since not only would the United Army become suspicious, but so would any enemies. Not only that, but I doubted that Korra would find me any easier to ally with.

_How about you tell me about how this island, hmm?_ I thought to Aang, changing the subject and smiling at the idea.

**_'Sure, I especially like the giant statue of yours-truly nearby."_**He chuckled. I turned and saw a giant Avatar holding his staff out in a mighty stance, protecting the city he proudly faced. I turned down to the similar one I held in my hands.

"I must seem quite unusual, dressed in earth nation clothes with an Airbending staff and the open ability to firebend." I said aloud, thinking back to how Tenzin had looked at the item I held.

"You do, a bit," I heard a voice reply from behind me. Turning swiftly around I pointed the staff offensively to whomever it was that had intruded on our conversation.

Tilted her head in confusion, Jinora stood and used her index finger to brush the object away from her neck as I lowered it, unfazed at the action.

"What are you?" She questioned and I looked in shock at how calm she was. I spluttered for an answer before becoming defensive and saying,

"What are you talking about?"

She tilted her head and elaborated. "Your hue is white rather than red, green, blue or yellow and you said 'open ability' when talking about firebending."

"I don't get many mainland visitors where I'm from. I find it hard to follow all of your customs." I shrugged, figuring that I wasn't lying nor was I telling her anything important.

"I guess I'll get to know you better during our training tomorrow, good night." She waved and walked away.

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For those that don't already know, this story is actually taking place right at the end of the series instead of season 2. So just imagine the characters like they are in season 4 onwards if that's any help :P

I am so so sorry about posting slightly later but I was too busy enjoying my Prom night WOO!

Please review! I appreciate all of your comments and I will reply to any questions or theories in the upcoming chapters…see you next week :c)


	13. Chapter 13

Seeker5- Thank you so much for your comment! I never noticed the Rohan part and I was going to fix it but I really cannot be bothered… Instead I finished this chapter which I hope will give you the extra characters you wanted ;D

sophiathesofa- Hopefully this chapter should contain what you want without giving too much away…

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The time had arrived where I was needed by the main gazebo on the island. Surrounded by cherry blossoms and a flowing stream, the area was serene and soothing with little chance of interruption.

"I'm glad you found it here okay," Jinora hummed from her meditation. She stopped and stood to meet me and smiled cheerfully. "You ready to begin?"

I nodded my head and moved further into the gazebo to lean against one of the supporting beams. There were times where I felt completely secure here on the island, where I could tell the family every little secret about me. But no matter how much I wanted to tell them, I had to stick to my plan. "What's first?"

"My father told me that you lack patience so meditation is what we will begin with."

Internally, I moaned about the exercise. I loved meditating, only when it came easily to me, but here in the mortal world it was much more difficult.

I sat down on the wooden decking and crossed my legs, trying to relax my body. Jinora came over, copied the way I sat and motioned for me to move my arms as well. The air around us was still and the only sounds nearby were of tweeting birds and running water from the stream; it was all quite surreal. My muscles relaxed and I tried to make my mind go blank but I ended up thinking about the times I would try this (and fail) with Aang.

I would breath in different patterns and fidget in place to get comfortable, causing me to disturb the _aura_ surrounding us .

"You need to focus." Jinora whispered, still remaining in her perfect posture and trying not to sound annoyed.

"On what?" I hissed back, too impatient to bother with this.

"On your mind." She moved her hands to touch her temples. "Detach yourself from this world."

I resumed my stance and closed my mind, imagining myself being suspended from the ground. The moment I could feel myself begin to detach, I was pulled back into my prone form. I sighed heavily.

"I almost had it," I complained, looking down at my entwined hands. Jinora moved over to the bag she had attached to her glider and passed me a strange look once she noticed my own staff sitting down by the stream.

Crouching down in front of me, she smothered a strange green liquid on my palms and forehead before moving back to where she was previously meditating. "Try now."

I ignored the foul smell wafting from the gross herbs and thought about nothing but floating. The thick substance must've been some sort of numbing agent and in a matter of seconds I could feel myself being lifted up. It was almost as if my soul was coming out of my very body.

I opened my eyes to a bright light and a glowing white aura floating over my entire body. I looked to my left and saw that Jinora was still sitting there and… a translucent blue copy of her was wondering around the cherry trees behind us. I was shocked to say the least, but the Avatars had told me about this ability. They had explained just what it involved and what this form could and couldn't do. It was fascinating.

I stood up to meet up with the blue girl when I noticed that the aura surrounding me had shifted. My hands were still the usual pale white and felt solid enough to still be _me_. _How can I see Jinora if my meditation failed again?_ I turned around to go back to my training and try again when the strangest thing happened:

In my place was a glowing version of _me_, sitting with her legs crossed just like I had before. She was unmoving, still in deep thought with eyes closed. I waved my hand in front of her..I mean _my.. _face to get a reaction and when none was apparent, I tapped her shoulder- only to watch my hand fall though.

It seemed as though Jinora and I were opposites. The glassy airbender drifted around, happily strolling around the courtyard whilst my crystalline version was stock still just like Jinora's human body.

Is if sensing my torment, the girl hovered over and covered her mouth with her hands, just as shocked as I was at the revelation.

"How did you..?" She mumbled dumbfounded at what had occurred. She proceeded to twist her hands though my copy's back and watch as it drifted though. Snapping back to her senses, she whipped around to me. "I **knew** you were different!" She pointed a finger at me, "only spirit's can move their physical form to this realm!"

"But how am I controlling this body if that one is my soul, sprit..whatever?" I yelled back, flicking my hand over to the prone body in the wooden shelter. I was becoming more and more stressed at this new ability and Jinora was getting too close to finding too much out. _Aang! Help me!_ I thought.

No answer.

_Roku? Kyoshi? Kuruk? _

No answer.

I turned towards Jinora with fear in my eyes when I realised that their thoughts were no longer with me. My bending wouldn't be gone but the company of the brilliant people I thought of as friends would be. I couldn't deal with it all.

Reaching forward, I grasped onto the younger girls shoulders, ignoring how I could touch her but not my own figure. "I need to get back," I choked, desperate to return to my normal self. A part of me was missing and I wanted it back.

"Calm down," the girl smiled weakly and placed her hands on my forearms. "Just overlap your bodies." She gestured to where I should sit.

I timidly stepped towards the being and stood inside myself. _Never thought I'd do that…_ and shuffled around to be in the exact same position. I tried to relax and calm my mind and thought only of the past lives that I was already missing.

It felt as though I was being sucked into the floorboards beneath my feet and the emptiness occupying my heart and mind were being filled with the aura vanishing around me.

**_'I wouldn't recommend doing that again,'_** Aang huffed, sounding relieved to be heard.

I laughed aloud at his comment but my trainer must have mistaken it for something else, either way, there were still a lot of questions that needed answering.

"I don't think we should do that again," Jinora laughed, awkwardly rubbing the back of head.

I had spent a week on the island and each day had been filled with exploration and training sessions with the two girls. I was busy packing a few things in my bag since I had been invited with Tenzin to visit Lin Beifong, chief of police. With my weapons all hidden away and tucked in fabric, I slung my bag over my shoulder and carried the glider out to meet with the head of the island.

"Evelyn, are you ready to depart?" He questioned with his own staff held by his side.

I nodded and smiled, glad that I could go on another boat to reach the main city and see the sights on the way.

We walked in a comfortable silence down to the docks where a couple of men were busy packing up and boarded a ship bigger than I had ever seen. From what I had heard, it was called a 'ferry' and it was used to transport the general public to any place for a fair price.

The trip was uneventful but the moment the captain called a stop, I was dashing off of the boarding ramp to the main platform that led to Republic City.

Bustling around, people with carts, children and clothing of all shapes and sizes were striding to where they had to be. What looked like _hundreds_ of humans were all winding around stalls and shop fronts to see the merchandise behind the windows and even more were struggling to get through the herds of people in their way.

We walked for a while along the town roads and I was continuously being pulled away from stores by an impatient Tenzin, tired with my constant amazement. A 'cab' had appeared to take us wherever we needed to be so I cautiously lifted myself in and watched as we moved across the paths at incredible speeds.

I was smart enough to know how this was possible since ships did a similar trick to get around quickly. That, and Aang was a big help in this situation too.

We arrived to a large building opposite the large domed hall I had seen in my vision of Korra a while ago. The vines infested the glass windows and ivy crawled up the side walls, covering the entire exterior in plants and spirit creatures.

I turned my attention back to the police station ahead and outside the front a huge statue of someone named 'Toph Beifong' was proudly stood. Again, with this person, I recognised them and my borrowed memories let me know all about the woman that was carved in stone. I smiled up at the blind officer as a name came to mind.

"Twinkletoes." I laughed, amused by the nickname.

**_'Ha ha, hilarious.' _**Aang huffed sarcastically; clearly not happy with the revelation.

I looked back up to Tenzin who was furrowing his brow; probably trying to figure out how I knew about the name his father was called. I smiled and winked right back at him, keeping the true meaning a secret for now.

Marching out of the front doors, a grey haired woman with a scar cutting down her left eye and a permanent scowl printed on her face approached.

"Tenzin," she curtly greeted, halting to a stop. "Is this the runt you called me about?" She pointed with a thumb over her shoulder to where I was standing awkwardly. When the airbender nodded I realised that this must've been Lin, the woman he said would be good to meet to get on the Avatar's trust side.

The mentioned person sharply turned to face me, critically examining the way I stood around the chief of police.

"Ma'am," I bowed, offering a polite greeting. She sneered, rolling her eyes.

"I'm no 'ma'am." She huffed, "I am a fighter; do not treat me like a weak lady." Turning towards Tenzin once more she continued. "What do you want me to do with her? She isn't an earthbender; I have little to offer."

Lin strode away back to the offices when Tenzin called out, stopping her in her tracks.

"What do you want?" She snapped, glaring at the man.

"She knows about Aang." He admitted.

She only laughed coldly in response and crossed her arms over the dark plated armour covering her body.

"_Everyone_ knows about Aang, he was the _Avatar_ for fuck sake!"

Tenzin looked down dejectedly and began to speak when the woman cut him off.

"I will give her access to the station, but that is all. And it's only since you asked personally." She continued her way into the building, leaving Tenzin and I alone in the streets with a blank look on our faces.

"We should go in and talk to her about the _details_." The airbender said, beginning to walk in. I followed behind and wondered into the offices that lined the entrance room.

"LIN!" Tenzin shouted, calling for her attention. She peered over the corner and sighed when she saw that we had returned to bug her.

"What now!" The chief scowled.

"How about police training?" He asked impulsively, thinking of something to make her continue listening. "General Iroh said himself that she was one of his best soldiers. Help her work alongside your team."

Suddenly she looked at me with a hint of bewilderment so I presumed that Iroh must be quite a big thing here in the city. Lin moved into a larger office space with less desks but much more information such as charts and images of people scattered all over the place.

"I can't," she shrugged. "But we can provide her with a little backup if she ever needs it. I just hope she isn't as reckless as the Avatar."

"I see," Tenzin turned to walk out, "Thank you for your time Lin."

The dank room smelt like leather and iron with a hint of smoke and I was desperate to leave. Catching up with Tenzin, I moved in sync with his steps, kind of enjoying being around such important people. Speaking of which, I looked over my shoulder to the office that we had seen Lin begin to enter, storing that information for future use.

Walking around the corner back to the front desks, I was too busy thinking about Lin and the City until I had found myself bumped up against someone's chest.

Papers drifted down around us and I turned a deep shade of red when I realised that I had caused the person to drop all of his things. I could hear faint irritated mumblings coming from him so decided that I should try and help to make up for my mistake.

With my head down, I kneeled down to pick up all of the scattered documents when a hand rested upon my shoulder.

"It's ok," his voice rumbled, "I got it." He began to pile all of the work together as I stuttered.

"S...sorry" I continued to collect the sheets and handed the ones in my grasp to him, still keeping my head low as I focused on the tile flooring.

"Not a problem," he replied, taking them and adding it to his own pile. I looked up at him long enough to notice that he was very similar to Iroh in more ways than one. His pale skin contrasted starkly with his dark black hair and piercing orange eyes, very closely linked to the generals same features.

He nodded and proceeded to enter Lin's office. _It's like I've seen a ghost,_ I thought, trying to pinpoint how I had recognised him from somewhere else.

* * *

Two… wait, no..three.. new character appearances!

A little hint- Evelyn only knows characters up to when the past lives were taken from Korra, so she will know Lin well since Aang had also met her. Mako, on the other hand, will only be a blur since none of the past lives met him in person.

EMERGENCY NOTICE

I am going to have a fight scene between Korra and Evelyn at some point!  
WHO DO YOU WANT TO WIN?

You have only three weeks to pick!

Review!


	14. Chapter 14

2000 views!

Guest- The other airbenders have actually been mentioned, but not much. I have just called them 'acolytes' in previous chapters BUT I will use this as a reminder to mention them a bit more often J

Seeker5- I love being able to reply to your reviews since I want to let you guys know how grateful I am for the comments!

Loonie- I agree with you! Korra can get a little..ahead of herself sometimes!

Guest- SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH *smothers face with hands* you're the second reviewer that seems to read my mind….

Ok, honestly I have to say that I love it when you add your own theories or ideas for storylines, it really help if I ever get stuck on ideas for the future :c)

* * *

Twilight swallowed the island in the midst of night, shadowing every turn and crook around the buildings and decorations. Fog smothered the air in a mask which flooded in from the still sea resting outside.

I crept out as silently as possible and made my way towards the docks where everyone had already left to sleep. Being so far away from the main building minimised the chances of being spotted by anyone up at this time of night so I could finally get out and take a look at the city.

I took the staff and snapped it open to reveal the orange wings fanning around the edges.

**_'Use the currents around you to get up.'_** Aang guided, showing the techniques I had seen Jinora and Ikki using so often.

I moved the air around the staff and swirled the cool winds towards the wings to see how well they picked up the movement.

Moving the staff around to my back, I gripped the front bars and leaped up using my bending to help me rise higher. Whilst in the air, I pushed my power forward, urging the contraption to speed onward towards the lights twinkling in the near distance. Wind whipped my hair back and forth and I was so happy that I was _flying!_

I dipped down and became mere inches away from the water's surface as I grew closer to the city's port.

Light began to reflect off of the waves and I knew it was time to land.

Over on the edge of the shore, a cluster of rocks provided a good area to land without being spotted and I swept down to reach the stones.

Stumbling, I fixed my footing and quickly backed up to the wall. Darkness smothered my body, rendering me virtually invisible to anyone wondering around this late at night.

I stuck to the shadows, creeping along walls to remain undetected and dashing past alleyways. Thanks to Aang I knew exactly where I was going without the need for maps or signs, something I was grateful for.

I made it to the police building where lights still flickered on in the barred windows. With steady footing I snuck over to the back of the station and hunched underneath a barren window.

**_'Are you sure?' _** Aang asked, still not completely happy with my plan.

_Of course, I will do just fine, thank you._

After checking that the coast was clear, I made the brick walls compact together slightly, causing the window's outer edge to shrink, freeing the glass without a sound. I stalked my way in and lowered the cloth covering my mouth as I walked through the corridor. Replacing the window, I continued on my mission.

I had managed upon the staff changing rooms and thought that this would be the perfect place to finish my alias. Before rounding the corner I removed any suspicious clothing and stashed it into a spare locker, making it look as though I had been in the building the whole time. A spare blouse and skirt was thrown over a bench and I took it to wear with my black training leggings.

_How convenient._

To the naked eye I was a secretary.

Straightening my posture and grabbing a few littered papers, I strode into the main offices, disguising myself as one of the officers working there. They never even noticed that I wasn't one of them as I made my way past row after row of computer screens and hard workers.

I walked further into the room and made a beeline towards the main central office at the other end, determined to find the person I needed.

A couple seconds later I was there, looking professional in my new outfit and stood outside the door to Lin Beifong's study.

She was busy filing something on the other side of the room so I took this chance to edge open the door and lean on the frame.

The woman was busy flicking through some important documents with the usual scorn expression. As normal, her back was straight and no matter what she was doing, she was still ready for anything.

"You remind me of your mother," I whispered from my spot, thinking about the way they both held themselves and spoke. Even their temper was identical.

She lashed back, instinctively shooting two daggers of dark metal in my direction.

Suddenly, as if everything was in slow motion, the moment froze, letting me concentrate solely on the items flying towards me. I lifted a land and faced my palm out towards the objects, feeling the bending ability seeping in my veins.

The stopped mid air, a hair's width from my hand, and I looked back up to the chief who seemed slightly stunned. I turned the dagger tips away from me and settled them down on the table without moving from my place in the doorway.

"What are you thi…"

"I just want to talk," I interrupted, taking advantage of the weakened state that the chief was in.

"Well then you can start by explaining what the fuck you think you're doing!" She snapped, folding her arms. I closed the door behind me and leant back on the metal entrance.

"Fine," I snapped back, already growing impatient, "I want you to teach me police tactics."

"No," Lin spat, "you can't even-" Her eyes widened and her gaze scattered over to the weapons that I had moved earlier.

"I need you to keep this between us," I shrugged, "telling the others would only complicate things."

"Complicate your _plans_?" The woman squinted, determining how much of a threat I now was. "How do I know you aren't planning something _against_ us?"

I sat down on the chair opposite Lin's desk and made myself comfortable for the upcoming conversation. I then proceeded to gesture to the main chair, offering the woman a chance to listen to my story.

"I need the help of Lin Beifong, daughter of Toph Beifong who taught the previous avatar. I need the wisdom of someone who had fought in battles all over the world. Who better to show me detainment methods than the police chief of republic city?"

Lin sat up straighter in her chair and gave me a strange glance, analysing every word that came out of my mouth.

"How do you know so much about me?" She leaned back in her seat. "And what connections do you have with my mother?"

"As I am sure Tenzin has made you aware, I have had information from Aang." I turned toward the door to check it was closed and locked before continuing. "I need to learn metal bending if I am to help Korra."

Twirling the metal items in her hand, Lin spoke. "And what exactly makes you think that she will let you help?" She stopped her actions and rested her elbows on the table, glaring at me as she did so. "You might never even meet her or provide any _valuable_ support, for that matter."

I stood from my seat and wandered over to the barred window in the corner of the room.

"I already have the trust of a lead Commander in the United Nations Navy as well as Tenzin and his family." I turned to face the policewoman. "From what I know, these people have connections to Korra and this gives me a pretty good chance of getting through to her."

I paused and thought about how I could convince her further.

"And you don't seem too concerned that I can bend multiple elements."

Lin sighed heavily and looked down to the grey desk. "I am going to be honest with you Evelyn, I have seen things you could never imagine," she chuckled. "As long as you're on our side, and stay out of my way, we will get along just fine."

Stiffly, she rose out of her seat and strode to the door, opening in roughly. The change of attitude did little to surprise me so I only walked calmly toward the exit.

"You will come here at dusk to begin your training," she nodded.

Straightening her back and raising her chin, the police woman regained her authority through gritted teeth.

"Now GET OUT."

After arriving back to Air Temple Island and having a good night's rest, I was prepared for the training to come. I had agreed with Jinora that meditation wasn't something that we should attempt again so instead we had moved onto breathing exercises and balance techniques.

All in all, everything was going great, including practice with Ikki that was rapidly becoming even more successful.

During the end of the evening, I left the island to secretly meet up with the police chief. I was secretly hoping that I would find this fighting technique better than the Air or Water styles and that it would be just as easy to master as Earth and Fire were.

After following the same directions as the night before, I reached the entryway of the police station and took refuge by the base of the Toph statuette, waiting for my mentor to show.

"I see you made it on time, good."

Lin was nothing but a shadow lurking in the corner behind and I whipped around to face the person addressing me.

"I didn't need you breaking into my place of work again." The figure moved further into an alley way and I wasn't quite sure where I was going. "Come." I continued to count the turns until we made it out to some sort of deserted training ground littered with dummies and piles of metal scraps.

It wasn't as big as the temple's courtyards, but it was large nevertheless. I kept to the sidelines whilst Lin strode to where the metal was lying and rummaged quickly through the pile.

"So how are we going to sta-"

"Catch!"

Just like in her office, the woman blasted shards of iron at my prone form, only this time, I watched the seemingly hundreds of spiralling objects rocketing forward before quickly spinning out of the way to avoid being impaled.

As I rushed up I saw the chief placing her hands on her hips in disapproval.

"You didn't do that yesterday," she grunted, clearly annoyed that I hadn't done what she had asked.

"We…maybe.." I panted. "that's because… there wasn't …**FORTY** of them!"

I returned to my place and readied for whatever was about to come.

"Remember, metal is just purified earth. Now.." She posed into a stance:

"Again!" She yelled, doing the exact same with all of the shards.

This time, I waved my arms around and focused on the earth particles found within the metal. I lifted my arms to cross slightly and waited for the perfect moment…

**_'Now!' _**Aang signalled, causing me to flick up my wrists in a rough and precise motion.

As though I could feel the earth pieces individually, I could control their movement entirely. I remembered how I could do this in the police station and wondered how come it came to me on instinct. It was confusing that this time around I needed someone to teach me how this all worked, rather than just _knowing _like before.

In summary, the night consisted of Lin throwing small lethal weapons at me and me trying to catch them to avoid death. With every shot the task grew harder and harder, as though the woman was determined to kill me or something. From what I had seen, she was definitely releasing anger, frustration and stresses on poor me. I shouldn't really complain; I was only getting stronger.

Days passed and once more, night began to draw close so I snuck out again, drifting over the ocean on my glider and creeping around streets. Dressed in black, I was coming near the alleyway and the training courtyard could be seen in the distance.

I was rounding the corner to the police station when a flash of a blade caught my eye and being the true idiot that I was, I decided to check it out.

Sneaking towards the dimmed flash, I watched as the outline of a rather large man held a knife and drunkenly swayed towards a small woman that lay huddled in the corner of the passage.

Pressed up against the cold brick, the lady whimpered in fright and tried but failed to escape from the dead end that he had trapped her in.

I could see him clumsily stomping forward with a wicked, psychopathic grin stretched on his fat face. With every step I debated whether or not I should intervene. The woman's life was on the line and I couldn't just watch, could I?

Darting forward, I reach out and twisted the man's hand, causing him to release the blade. He barely reacted and in response the intoxicated fool manically laughed, pulling a handgun out of his jacket pocket and pointing the barrel in my face.

I decided that this was none other than the best time to put my training to good use. I flashed the creep a mischievous smirk and subtly twisted my hand by my side. The motion, just as I had presumed, caused the barrel of the gun to lift up and bend in the wrong direction, giving the man quite a fright.

Whilst he remained bewildered I proceeded to punch the man right in the face, causing him to fall straight back due to his unbalanced state. With the drunkard knocked out cold, I moved over to the crying woman and offered a hand. At my movement, she flinched harshly and used her hands to scramble as far back to the wall as possible.

"It's ok, I won't hurt you," I hushed, attempting to calm the lady. Warily, she reached out and grasped my gloved palm as I lifted her up onto her feet. She remained quite shaken about the incident and kept her gaze on the drooling, motionless lump on the ground.

"You should call the police before he wakes up," I suggested, bending down and fixing the gun back to how it was, erasing all traces that I had been there. "Tell them he was too drunk to stand and knocked himself out."

I stood and walked out to meet with Lin, only turning back to check that the woman was on the phone. Once I heard her voice telling the emergency services what had happened, I rushed off, already late for training.

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METALBENDING IS AWESOME!

I would like to give a massive thanks to all of those that voted! So far the scores are… *drum roll*…

Evelyn-3

Korra-1

2 weeks left! Post your votes in the reviews or PM me ideas or theories about what's to come!

See you next week :c)


	15. Chapter 15

The moment you have all been waiting for has arrived! Enjoy!

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"She's here," Tenzin mumbled, clearly not happy with what was to come.

"Really! Yay! I can't wait to ask her about everything that's happened! Wait 'till you see her, Evelyn! She'll like you! And you can meet Asami too! Maybe even Bolin and Mako as well! I wonder if they are with her or-" Ikki scooted away on an air ball, rambling nonsense about Korra and her friends who was presumably docking by the shore at that moment.

Just as they were mentioned, Jinora appeared walking up the slope to the main entrance with two people by her sides. On her left was a tall and very pretty woman with jet black hair and red lipstick wearing a red leather jacket, and on her right was none other…than Korra.

They were busy talking and chatting about recent events until the Avatar spotted Tenzin and me by the front gazebo and began to manically wave over.

"TENZIN!" She shouted, jogging up to see him. "Wow..Have I got news for you!" A giant smile was plastered all over her face and she wouldn't stop hopping on the spot in anticipation. "Grab the kids, Mako, Bolin, the random person next to you, EVERYBODY!" Korra flew her arms out in excitement.

_This is the Avatar?_ I thought to myself. _She's certainly more…enthusiastic than I imagined._

"Woah..calm down Korra, we have business to attend to first." Tenzin remained stoic as the adult waterbender began to settle down and refrained from jogging on the spot.

"Of course," she coughed into her hand, hiding the smile that refused to go away. "Now, what have I missed?" Korra asked, giving me a sideward's glance.

"Korra, this is Evelyn," he gestured over to me. "She has been waiting to meet you for some time now."

My time here with Tenzin's family was around four weeks so he was right to say that I had been waiting a while. Not only that, but I had also spent plenty of time in the air temple I had first trained in and there was also the weeks spent at sea with the navy.

I bowed to the Avatar in respect and was indeed glad to have finally met her in person. She looked at me weirdly, probably because of the greeting, and offered a hand instead.

"Nice to meet you," I nodded as she shook my given hand. The second our fingers touched, I couldn't help but notice a bolt of shock running all throughout my body. She must have felt it too and we both quickly released our joined appendages to stop the flash of pain.

"You as well," she uncertainly replied, squeezing the palm of her hand. "What can I help you with?"

"Actually," I shuffled, "I am here because I want to help _you_."

"Really?" She raised an eyebrow. "What with, exactly?" Tenzin stood by and I could already tell that this conversation was turning awkward for him and us alike.

"Anything that will prove me useful," I stated, trying to think of a way to make me sound like someone that truly wants to help.

The Avatar paused for a moment and crossed her arms whilst thinking of a reply.

"I would love to help, but I already have the man power I need," she shrugged, looking over to Tenzin for conformation.

"Actually, Korra, she trained with General Iroh," he turned away to look at me. "And she's excelled at lessons with Jinora and Ikki."

The Avatar looked over to me in curiosity and glanced down to the hand that she had shaken earlier.

"Like I said, I am fine with the help I already have, sorry, Evelyn."

She turned to leave and walk back to where the black haired girl and Jinora now stood until I shouted:

"Then fight with me!" I yelled, shocked at my own choice of words.

She snapped back in confusion at the outburst and stepped a bit closer with a sceptic gaze.

"I don't fight civilians."

"You fought at pro-bending championships," I bit back, further proving my point.

"She has a point," Pema interjected, trying to help us both out. The rest of the family had joined us outside and the woman stood with her three younger children nearby.

"Korra just doesn't want to lose," Meelo snickered to Ikki who looked disapprovingly at her brother. The siblings argued in the distance over who they thought would win in a fight; Meelo backed me up, whilst Ikki remained loyal to Korra.

Looking up to the sky and muttering something that sounded much like a curse, Korra tapped her feet impatiently as she decided.

"Fine then! Noon it is, be prepared." She stormed off over to where her friend was, her excited aura dissipated from our little contest.

The three girls strode into the temple to discuss whatever they came here for and once they had left my vision, I turned to face Tenzin and the rest of his family.

"Well…seems as though I have a pretty interesting evening ahead of me," I grinned.

"Indeed, but I want you to remember that Korra is much more formidable than training exercises, don't underestimate her."

People that had met me on my earlier travels had seemed oblivious to the idea of a lone girl being a strong woman. True, the Avatar was female, but it was rare to find fighters like Lin and Korra within public crowds, especially when I had travelled around to the smaller villages.

"If anything, she will be the one to underestimate me," I said laughing. I wondered more about how I must've seemed to the people I had met and began to make my way to my room.

"She's right; even I won't make that mistake again," a familiar voice replied from behind, causing me to stop dead in my tracks.

It had been weeks but I would never forget that voice. Without the person behind it, I wouldn't have had the training and means to be where I was. The one person responsible for me gaining the courage to talk to others was right behind me.

_Iroh_

Whipping around unsurely, I peeked over my shoulder in disbelief. It was him, standing there with a stern expression. All throughout our journeys he had never once been able to sneak up on me yet here he was, making me tremble in shock at seeing his face.

I stepped cautiously forward and took in the vision of the man that I had spent the majority of my time here with. I don't think that it had dawned on me straight away that he was truly here, so I remained still for some time.

"I think we should head inside," Pema suggested to her children and husband so that they didn't cause any interruption.

The family gathered themselves up and hurried inside. Iroh turned and watched them leave; facing me once they were out of view.

Immediately I noticed how he relaxed around me. The straight back and emotionless gaze dissipated when we were together and I loved how I had the opportunity to talk to the **real** Iroh, rather than the general that most other people knew.

I still hadn't moved and, instead, I used this short space of time to appreciate how his eyes seemed to change colour depending on the light, how they wrinkled when he started to smile and how he always had the one flick of hair that never seemed to sit right.

Once I finally stopped acting like a fool for staring, I ran forward, my feet slamming against the stone, and threw myself at him, encasing the general in a crushing hug by wrapping my arms around his waist and burying my face in his chest.

I wasn't worried about being too forward and had cared little for if he felt uncomfortable, but the second I felt him return the gesture with equal force and rest his head upon mine, I knew I had no regrets.

"You came back," I said, my mouth muffled by his red jacket.

"I missed you," he murmured with a slight laugh from the top of my head. We pulled apart and both wore matching smiles from seeing each other again.

I probably got a little over excited but I think it was only because this was the first time that this situation had ever occurred for me. Being and living around spirits meant that I never had to deal with loss. The village was isolated so no one needed to travel or leave. This was the first time that I had ever been reunited with a friend.

In half an hour I had managed to meet the Avatar, challenge said girl to a fight, become reunited with a friend and now I was starting to feel a little light headed.

"I think I need to sit down," I half heartedly smiled.

To comfort me, he grabbed my hand and pulled me over to one of the nearby oak benches.

"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly, furrowing his brow and putting the back of his hand against my forehead to check for a fever.

"I've just had an overwhelming day," I admitted, allowing only him to see my weakness.

He turned sideways on the bench so that we were face to face once more, "I heard," he said, looking back over to where we had hugged. "So what's this I hear about you having a duel with the Avatar?"

I shrugged, "It's one way for her to see how much she needs me by her side."

Iroh leaned forward and tilted his head slightly, a sign for me to continue explaining myself.

"If I beat her, it means that she isn't going to stand a chance against other opponents."

As if a bulb was lit in his head he snapped his fingers. "Ah I see, that would mean that she _needs _you,"

I nodded.

"I wonder where you learnt such interesting strategies…" he quirked a grin, staring dramatically into the distance.

We shared a laugh and I asked about his journeys after I had left. Nothing truly exciting seemed to come up since patrols and security were standard procedure but I kept the conversation going to prevent him asking about my own additional training. One issue, however, did pop up that I was waiting to hear more about:

In the northern hemisphere rebels from the Firenation and Earth Kingdom had gathered and formed a resistance. The General was unsure what they were protecting or why they were angry with the army, but they were becoming an issue. His main concern was that they would try and overthrow Republic City by travelling south and invading villages on the way.

Apparently, Korra had attempted to converse with one of the leaders which only caused more hatred toward the capital. They seemed to dislike anyone trying to claim ownership of a particular area and the Avatar wasn't having much luck finding out why.

We had sat and spoken more about the topic throughout the majority of the morning and it was already getting close to noon.

"You know, I can't let you fight Korra," he said after a long pause.

"Why not?" I questioned.

"Because you'll get hurt!" he immediately cried back, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I think we both know that I can take care of myself!" I said, defending my capabilities.

"She's the **AVATAR**!" he shouted, finalising his point for my safety.

I raised my eyebrows once he shouted since he had never angrily yelled at me before. As though realising his mistake, he coughed into his hand to clear his throat and calmed down a bit.

"And?" I shrugged my shoulders once I got over the outburst, hinting towards the fact that we were both aware of what I could do.

"No, Evelyn. You can't tell her yet. You need to plan your steps further."

"Who said anything about telling her?"

"Telling me what?" Korra appeared from the side with Naga (who, according to Aang, was a giant polar..bear..dog?) She stood heavily on one foot with her arms crossed, clearly not liking me too much.

"Oh, good afternoon, Korra," Iroh saluted formally, adapting his leading stature with the sudden change in events.

"Hey, Iroh," she chimed casually, still with her stare on me, "so what are you love birds chatting about?"

Turning a deep, **dark** shade of red, I turned away from my **friend** and emitted a strangled cough.

"Uh..um..I…we..we're..not..umm," I spluttered, not thinking clear enough to string together coherent sentences.

"We were talking about the extra training Evelyn has been getting. It wouldn't be fair to tell you about what she does and doesn't know," Iroh explained carefully. He stayed surprisingly professional and I envied his restraint.

"I see," she remarked, "would you prefer it if I stick to one element, Evelyn? I don't want to make this fight unfair." She sounded as though she was being sarcastic. She was belittling me and making me feel small since, to her, I was only a trainee that had high hopes.

**_'Even I find it ironic that she would actually be the latter if she limited her bending.'_**

I silently agreed with Aang and decided that she would be less likely to appreciate what I could do if she refrained from actually being the master of elements.

"No, no, don't worry about me."

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I bet you guys are dying for the next chapter! I smell a fight scene...

Review please! I want to know what you think will happen!


	16. Chapter 16

The time has finally come and the chapter you have been waiting so long for has arrived! I would like to thank anyone and everyone reading this right now since you have stuck by me and this story so far! Right, enough stalling.. here you go: enjoy :c)

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Cracking her neck to the side and rolling her shoulders, Korra eased into a basic stance, positioning her feet one in front of the other.

_She's right footed,_ I took note, only focusing on my opponent rather than the growing crowd beginning to circle the courtyard's practice arena.

Raising my guard, I picked up my fists, holding them out in front of my face as I awaited the first move.

No one made a sound.

No one moved an inch.

All eyes on us.

**_'Remember to breathe.'_**

What I had never mentioned in detail was that I had a tendency to…change. If I used more than one element at once then the spiritual side of me would take over. My body didn't hold the spirit of life like Korra, so that meant that I could only perform what any normal person could do at one time.

If I disobeyed the rule of one element at a time, the consequence was a bit like the Avatar state, I guess, but I had no restraint over it at all. It might sound interesting or like a positive outcome, but it was much the opposite. Using multiple elements at once meant I was overusing the energy I was allowed. To survive, the conscious part of me was removed and my actions were done by my subconscious- a side of me that I would like to wish didn't exist.

Physically, I had prepared myself. Mentally? I was still unsure. I had thought about every outcome, every move that I had learnt. I had even made precautions with Iroh if I ended up out of control: if there was any incident, he was to knock me out. I said that he should just end me if worst came to worst, but he was having none of that.

Korra charged forward, stopping a small distance away and performing a spinning kick, throwing flames out along with it. The spirals of orange spread forward, crawling rapidly towards my idle form.

I ducked once they got close enough, avoiding the chance of being burnt and slid to the side as I got up to evade any more incoming attacks from that direction.

The woman didn't seem too happy with the first outcome since she must have presumed that I was nothing more than a soldier at best.

Flicking my ponytail behind me, I resumed my stance and readied for the upcoming hit.

She sprinted straight for me and I was unsure what her move was going to be. There was the chance that she could have chosen to tackle me down to the ground but there was also the possibility for the brunette to attack me head on with an element. My second assumption was correct and she forcefully punched out, short bursts of flames shooting from her fists in an array of red and yellow.

She seemed to have only shot them out at a single target, so I spun toward her, out of the way, to avoid the whole strike completely. Using this chance, I aimed for her lower ribs and jabbed out in small yet strong hits.

I immediately noticed that the girl must've preferred fire over the other elements since that was the first thing she attacked with. Not only that, she hadn't even attempted to use another skill other than offensive firebending which was odd, considering that she was the **Avatar**.

She leaped back, using her height against me since I could no longer reach to land a hit. As her feet touched the ground once more, she threw both arms forward simultaneously and burst forth the most fire I had ever witnessed.

It was clear that she didn't have a great liking toward me, but I had a feeling that I would have to use my bending to escape the waves of red rolling closer. Not even Iroh had used that much bending in a fight with me and I was honestly terrified at the opponent in front of my eyes.

It was like the nightmare I had the morning Aang had met me. With Korra's hair whipping across her face I could only just see the tint of white glazed over her eyes. She was still only firebending, but she used an unnoticeable amount of Raava's influence to help her. No one else seemed to realise, but I did. Not that I had a choice, but I decided to stay quiet about it for now.

The monster's heat weapon rocketed even nearer and I knew that this would be the perfect opportunity to showcase what I was capable of.

_Think you could help?_ I internally asked the past lives quickly before I was roasted alive.

**'Think of the fire as air, collect it, gather the pieces and show her the final picture,' **Roku wisely informed me, giving me a great idea.

Gasps collected in the crowd and I could only just see Ikki covering her eyes as it seemed as though I wasn't going to stop it. The orange light was almost at the right place and Korra remained fiercely erupting more and more of it.

I raised my arms.

One arm was curved over my head whilst the other was in an opposite position by my waist. The circle that I had formed with my limps captured the heat and I swirled my hands around to make the circle smaller and smaller. I myself used an otherworldly piece of assistance from my additional souls and the past lives had provided me with a little more energy to get me through the battle.

Once I had everything in place, I grabbed the element by my chest with both hands, capturing it in my grasp. As more and more of it was shot at me and I caught all of it, adding it to the growing ball in my palms. As it grew, I compressed the burning sphere smaller and smaller, causing the object to glow hotter and hotter.

It must've looked like I had created a portal with my body. Flames poured in but I stood strong behind them. I could see the energy in Korra weakening and the attack come to a stop. The last of the fire was enclosed between my arms in a shining white orb and I relaxed my stance to hold the element.

The Avatar looked defeated. In true fact, she was. Draining all of her stamina by using copious amounts of energy wasn't the best idea so she weakly stood by the edge of the arena. Brown hair stuck to her face as droplets of sweat beaded down her forehead and into her eyes.

It would have been stupid to let this opportunity go so I threw the white orb straight for her feet, causing her to jump back out of the courtyard.

The explosion was extreme but I knew that she wouldn't be seriously hurt. By spinning out of the fighting area, Korra had technically forfeited the battle which claimed me as the winner.

"I said that you could use multiple elements," I shouted, limply walking over to where she had fallen back from the explosion.

I offered a hand to the smoke covered Avatar who graciously accepted as I brought her back to her feet. We both felt the shock of electric when we touched but neither chose to acknowledge it.

"You never said you were a firebender," she coughed, ignoring my remark and used her hands to brush off debris from her clothes.

"We have only met for, like, three hours?" I chimed; glad to finally put our little disagreement behind us.

"True," she smiled, "that was impressive, by the way." We walked over to where the family and acolytes now stood.

"You too," I nudged her arm.

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BOOM!

HOW AWESOME WAS THAT!?

Did I do a good job? I hope it was as great as you thought it would be since I only want to please my viewers :P

**Notice for Loonie... Whoever you are- you are great! You give me by far some of the greatest comments on my story and after reading last weeks review I am even more determined to stick by my weekly updates!**

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REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! (I will PM my favourite comment this week since I feel like getting to know some of you loyal viewers!)


	17. Chapter 17

Thank you for all the great reviews for the previous chapter! This one doesn't have anywhere near as much action but I think you'll enjoy what I've added ;)

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"Everyone! I have an announcement! Two, for that matter!" Korra was near the head of the table by Tenzin and the dark haired girl I now knew to be Asami. The avatar's mood had change dramatically after our fight that day and we had gotten on well in the short time before dinner.

Everyone had attended and we ate in the grand hall rather than the house for a change. Korra was especially excited about the event and earlier wouldn't stop chattering about what she had to say.

Once we had all arrived, I took my seat beside Iroh, opposite where Pema and the children sat, and looked over to the cheerful woman talking to us.

Lifting a glass of wine, the waterbender gestured for us to do the same.

"I..I mean..we.. are," she stuttered uncharacteristically, pulling Asami up from her seat, "getting married!" they both squealed, giving one another a passionate kiss on the lips.

Jolting up from their seats, the airbending family, Lin, two boys and some other older parents rushed to where the girls were, offering congratulations and hugs.

Personally, I had no clue what they were all doing. 'Marriage' wasn't a popular thing back in the spirit realm, most people just had kids and lived together- that was it. I also had no idea who Asami really was. I had heard Korra rambling on and on about her when I had mistakenly asked earlier, but, other than opinion, I didn't know what the woman was really like.

It didn't really matter, though; I was still thrilled at the idea of the Avatar starting a family of her own.

"Are you just going to wait it out?" I could hear Iroh whisper by my ear, motioning over to the huge herd of people surrounding Korra and her fiancée. Neither of us really wanted to get involved with everything, and I already knew what the second announcement was about. I had no reason to stay behind.

"I'll congratulate her later," I whispered back, beginning to get up. "For now I think I'll just take a walk or something."

"Can I join you?" He spoke unsurely, looking towards the masses of 'finally!' 'Congratulations!' and 'I knew it!' being excitedly yelled around the happy couple.

"Sure," I shrugged, walking forward and leaving the room through large wooden doors with Iroh following behind.

We sat together out on the moonlit boulders by the shore, far out from any prying eyes. It reminded me of the time when Iroh had helped me up the rocks at the Southern Air Temple since. Thinking carefully, I realised that that must have been the memory which lead to us becoming close friends, causing me to quietly laugh to myself.

"What's so funny?" He asked, poking my side which only caused me to laugh harder because it was only providing proof to my theory.

"About four months ago you helped me climb a shore like this. Now look where we are," I sat with my legs in front of me with my arms propping me up.

"You're right," he smiled, looking over to me. I gazed out to the ocean in front, wondering what would have happened if I had never met the man beside me. "You know…"

"What?" I questioned, moving my arms and sitting upright.

"You are quite mysterious," he stated whilst tapping his lips in a mock 'detective mode'. "I know so much about you, but at the same time, I know nothing."

"I guess I could say the same to you," I replied, noting that I had never heard about his family or heritage before. I didn't even know where he grew up or why he joined the military.

"Well," he began, "how's this.." he moved to sit more comfortably, "I am Iroh, General of the United Forces and Commander of Division One of the navy, I am forty years old." He said in a deeper voice, mimicking a boasting 'hero.' I giggled and looked over at him with a raised eyebrow since they were the details that I already knew.

"I am Evelyn, a civilian," I stated in a similar voice with my chin held high before pausing and quickly counting on my fingers. "I am thirty eight."

"You had to count?" He asked sceptically.

"Where I am from, we measure the years differently" I wiggled my fingers.

"Oh," he paused, taking the vague answer pretty well. As he looked into the sky for more ideas about himself he continued the information exchange. "I was born in Capital City, I have a younger sister and I left to serve in the navy when I was eighteen." He seemed more serious here, like he really did want us to talk about each other.

_CAPITAL CITY!_ I thought, using the memories I had from Aang to figure out that that city was home to only the wealthiest and most respected families but I shouldn't really be surprised considering his position of work. Before I could ask my memories more about the place flashes of destruction and slaughter appeared, showing me the battle during 'Sozin's Comet.' The sudden revelation kept me stunned for some time whilst I tried to comprehend what I had just seen. I decided that I had found out enough about that place.

"Your family sounds important," I wondered, poking his arm with every word. I had to think of a way to make him talk more about his life. I had to do whatever it took to keep the conversation away from my own family.

"Yea, it is," he sounded down, as though he was in deep thought. "Hold on… where_ are_ _you _from?"

"Nowhere special," I nervously smiled, trying and failing to convince Iroh anything.

"You can tell me anything, remember?" He sounded genuine, and I thought back to how hurt he was when he found out that I hadn't told him about my bending secret.

I sat up and he copied so that we were facing each other crossed legged.

"I…I was born in a little village a long, long way from here," I began. There was no way that he could have understood what I was going through. When I meant far away, I meant in a whole other world entirely! "I am an only child." I finished, hoping he wouldn't ask about it.

Staying silent, my company looked up into the stars.

"Here's the deal," he scooted closer, looking towards me and completely discarding what I had just told him. I should've known that keeping a secret from a military officer wasn't going to be easy… "I tell you something you don't know, and you tell me something I don't know, okay?"

I liked the idea that we could both share something about ourselves. It almost felt as though we were little kids exchanging stories in the middle of the night. In a way, I guess we were. I nodded to him and he leaned right by my face and whispered.

"I am the crowned prince to the Firenation," he spoke simply as though it didn't bother him in the slightest. I gasped and covered my mouth in awe. I wasn't sure whether I should bow or curtsey or…_fuck_…I had hugged him, kissed his cheek, just now I had _poked_ him- the prince!

"You…" I pointed in shock and proceeded to look down, "I am so..sorry."

"For what?" He tilted his head to look at my bowed face and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"_I hit you in the backside with a rock,"_ I hissed at myself, mental slapping my face and rubbing my arms nervously.

Bursting in laughter, the general found my devastating revelation hilarious and rocked back and forth in hysterics. I felt wrong for staring, but at that moment I couldn't help but enjoy his laugh. It was a rare thing to see and hear since his usually stoic expression covered any signs of emotion around other people.

"Don't worry about it," he grinned, still finding the previous comment funny, "now it's your turn."

I didn't know how to start or what to tell him. How was I supposed to describe my heritage?

"My mother is a spirit," I rushed out, rather getting the truth out of the way as quick as possible.

I wasn't sure what I was expecting to see. He could storm away, annoyed that I had kept a secret. He could send me off to a prison since I could be a threat. But then again, he could've done the same things back on the ship when I displayed my bending.

Silence.

He didn't say a word so I looked up into his amber eyes through my fallen fringe. Just thinking about my mum and dad and home brought heart warming memories and I was just glad the person I was talking to was someone I held ultimate trust in.

Silence.

A single, silent tear fell down my cheek and the cool air chilled the watery trail on my face. This was the first and only time that I had openly expressed my true feelings around someone, including my family. To me, this was a big deal, and I wasn't getting a reaction in response.

Without making a sound, warm arms wrapped around my middle and pulled me close. I planted my face into the red jacket before me and crushed my eyes closed in his warmth.

"It's going to be okay. I know you must miss her," he stroked through my hair, pulling the hair tie out of it and letting my ponytail fall loose.

I grasped onto the arms of his coat and balled the fabric up in my fists as I looked up at the face of someone that truly cared for me. I don't know why I hadn't realised it before, but I cared for him too.

"You're not..mad?" I sniffled, confused as to why he was being so gentle and kind with me when I wasn't even human.

"Why would I be mad?" he whispered, pulling me to sit across in his lap like a child. "You are still the same Evelyn, nothing with change that."

I smiled the best and brightest smile of my life in that moment. I was in the arms of a Prince that liked me for who I was, that listened intently to my every word and comforted me in times of need.

I gazed up into his deep honey orbs and wondered why no one else could see the gentle giant that I did. Too focused on looking into his eyes, I barely noticed as they grew closer to my own. As our faces nearly touched, a large, warm hand rested on the back of my neck and paused my train of thought. To close the small distance left, Iroh swept down, encasing my lips with his own.

I was taken by surprise at the action and my muscles stiffened and tensed with the sudden intimacy. My entire being was frozen and I wasn't sure how to react until my brain finally understood that I was actually being _kissed._ It wasn't fast or rough like I had expected, but it was hot and soothing. Our mouths melded together perfectly and my hands gripped tighter onto his arms, pulling him down further to let him know I felt the same. Everything just _went away._ The pain of leaving home and the sad thoughts that resided with my family just _vanished_ in that moment. Peace, calmness and relaxation washed over me along with Iroh's body heat as we stayed together and I wasn't sure how long we had stayed like that but I wanted it to last forever.

The second we pulled apart, our bodies lingered near each other, unsure of what to do now. I looked up to Iroh and I finally let the fact that we just kissed sink in.

Saying that I turned red would be an understatement. If I tried, I could have blended in with Iroh's clothes which, by the way, are incredibly soft and smell just like rain and gunpowder. _WAIT. Why am I thinking like that!_

I turned away in embarrassment to stop him from seeing my rosy cheeks and looked down to the ocean instead.

"Evelyn," he cupped my cheek, causing me to turn back, "I just want you to know that I don't care where you are from or what you can and can't do."

I turned my head back around to face the water below and silently cursed myself for becoming close to someone. Deep inside I knew that he would only get hurt and that was the last thing that I wanted. I didn't respond to his sweet words, but instead I refused to meet his eye and I chose to shake my head. "You don't think it's..freakish?"

He never instantly replied with words, but instead he moved his other hand to my face and pulled me forward into another kiss. This one was softer and calming as our faces hovered against each other. This time he spoke with our foreheads pressed together.

"No."

Pulling away, Iroh's eyes held an endearing feature to them that I didn't want to look away from.

"I'm sorry for lying," I wiped my tired eyes, "The only change would be my age," I chuckled weakly, thinking that he must've been confused when a girl looking nineteen was actually in her thirties.

"So how does that work, by the way?" He asked as I forgot my nervousness and cuddled into his uniform. He must've understood that I needed some rest after the fight earlier as he stood up and lifted me up by the back of my knees and chest, letting my head fall against his shoulder and neck.

"Well, in the spirit world, usually days and nights are twice as long which means… " I yawned, "the years are as well," I rested my head on Iroh's shoulder.

He took large steps forward and found a safe route back up to the temple which avoided the main building and pathways.

"Usually?" he whispered to limit the amount of attention drawn towards us.

"Every ten thousand years, the time in both realms catches up to one another and is the exact same. For the whole year the days are only twenty four hours. It's our version of a leap year." I whispered back, finding it increasingly difficult to refrain from sleeping and the soreness from my fight was beginning to settle in.

"So every ten thousand years you become a year younger?"

"I guess," I murmured, shifting my body a little to get closer to his warmth like a blanket. He walked me across the grass gardens and around the back of the towers. I found it sweet that he knew me well enough to know that I would live away from commotion and all I had to do was point to which room was mine.

"Other than that, every two years here, it has only been one there," he concluded, sliding open my room's door with his foot and placing me down on the plain mattress.

"_Exactly_," I mumbled, closing my eyes, finding it harder and harder to stay awake.

_"Well that will explain why I feel twenty again whenever I'm with you,"_ he hushed into my ear whilst I drifted off into sleep, kissing the top of my head as he left the room.

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Awww so much fluff! If this doesn't make you want to hug someone then I don't know what will! Oh how I love Irolyn!

I still have the offer open for best review since all of the ones I got last chapter where from guests (I still love you guys don't worry :P)

See you next week! :c)


	18. Chapter 18

3000 views! This chapter was so fun to write since I **love** action scenes! Hope you enjoy J

Nymeriam- I'm glad you liked it :D I was really torn between letting Korra or Evelyn win but I hope that this next chapter helps appease the Korra side ;)

Loonie- I hope I didn't make the age thing too farfetched but I thought that having an 19/40 year old pairing would be too odd so I fixed it up a bit. Glad you liked the lovey dovey part :c)

Guest- I may take my time, but I promise that I will make sure that each and every awesome moment is uploaded asap! I hope to continue the good work!

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"This is going to be great!" Korra fist bumped the air whilst Asami smiled awkwardly to the ground and Iroh just sighed exasperatedly.

The four of us were walking down the wide streets of republic city to reach one of the main attractions and I couldn't help but try and cure my curiosity as we strolled past stalls of multiple colours and trades, smells of meat, perfumes and dusty antiques tickling my nose.

"So how did you manage to book the whole arena?" I asked, slightly befuddled as to how we had unlimited access to one of the most popular buildings in the city.

"Well I have access to the training gym anytime 'cause the owner owes us a favour or two," she winked, obviously hinting that she had saved his ass on multiple occasions. "Anyway, there aren't any matches on for the next few days so we got him to lend us the building for the weekend-"

"-as long as we don't break anything!" Asami cut in to make sure we were all clear on what _not_ to do.

Stretched out above the sea below was a long platform that lead up to a huge palace-like building embossed with golden arches and stained glass windows. Pillars held a small ceiling up above the doorway which reminded much of the temple's doorways- just ten times bigger!

"We'll have to go 'round the back; I only have the gym keys," the Avatar mumbled angrily whilst looking down and flicking through a ring of different shaped keys which mostly consisted of smaller, indoor ones.

Swinging open the smaller, less impressive door, a large open space was revealed with netting covering a whole wall on the left. Punching bags were positioned in each corner with gloves hung up on hooks nearby and scattered elsewhere in the dark room. Flicking on the lights, Iroh revealed the piles of Earth circles placed opposite the large nets and on metal poles to serve as weight-lifts.

"It's _huge,_" I murmured to myself as I walked over to where scorched targets were etched into one of the walls by the entrance.

"It'll be even bigger once they add airbenders to the teams," Asami added as she moved with Korra to the exit ahead. I lingered behind for a moment and, being the sneak I was, lifted and replaced one of the dirt disks as I walked past.

_They're lighter than usual,_ I thought since I was beginning to get used to the weight of bending metal alongside the police chief.

**_'True, but they hurt if you get hit with one.'_**

_You know from experience?_ I chuckled a little out loud as I couldn't help but imagine the man being pelted with these in a fake fight.

**_'Maybe…'_**

I caught up with the group and I had found myself to be in a locker room of sorts with funny looking outfits hung up on the doors.

"Since I can't bend I'll leave today to you three-" Asami began.

"-two, " Iroh changed, "I'll just watch if that's okay."

Sharing a glance, me and the Avatar smirked and dashed towards our training gear, ignoring the fact that both our closest companions were there. Once my helmet was pushed on and the baggy clothing had been belted on tight over my normal training clothes, I regrouped with my opponent to talk about rules.

Before a word was uttered, flashbacks to matches that Aang had witnessed came to mind. I kept a keen eye on what the players did and didn't do, which included the mistakes that Korra herself had made on her first few attempts.

"You ever played?" Korra excitedly hopped; keen to begin the match as soon as possible.

"I know the basics," I grinned to myself. "You ready?"

After Korra received a kiss of good luck from Asami, we walked out onto a bridge which lead to a red and blue arena with grates covering the edges and earth disks stacked into the ground. The floor itself was separated into three sections which gradually got smaller and nearer the open edge. Luckily for me, the underneath was just a pool of water to break my fall.

Watching from the stadium seats, Iroh and Asami exchanged worried glances since the last fight between us ended in quite a mess.

"Don't break anything!" The Sato girl yelled, already knowing that this wasn't likely to end well.

Korra walked over the middle line so that we stood opposite each other. I was red and she was blue which I thought to be extremely appropriate for our situations.

"Remember! This is just a training exercise and a bit of fun!" Iroh bellowed from his viewing point in the stands. I noticed the shaky tone in his voice and I felt touched that he might have been worried for my safety.

"Duh!" Korra shouted back with a hand on her hip, "I am **not **the sort to hold a grudge!"

Even from my place in the first zone I could still hear the laughter coming from the Avatar's fiancée and couldn't help but giggle at the irony of it all considering that the past fights Korra had battled were due to revenge or payback.

"Are you ready yet?" I impatiently huffed after regaining composure, already positioned in my stance to start. The girls ceased their playful arguing and Korra finally took this a little more seriously. "Don't forget to give me a challenge this time!" I teased, using my previous victory to my advantage.

The timed buzzer sounded and immediately there were flames shooting towards me. I ducked, swerved and twisted to avoid being pushed back and decided that I was going to be offensive for once.

Without giving her the time to back up and attack again, I launched streams of hot fire in her direction. I knew that I could only limit my moves in short bursts to keep in line with the rules but I still had plenty of stamina to last me the fight. Kicking, I spun around and managed to land a shot to her right shoulder, causing quite a stir from the now-agitated woman who had been pushed back the way.

A loud beep resonated around the nearly empty hall and the floor where Korra stood glowed red to signal that she had moved into the second zone. On the wall by the commentary box one of the large glass lights shone red in my favour- earning me a point. But no matter how happy I was that I was in the lead, I couldn't show it. I wasn't willing to drop my guard simply because Korra was behind: that would only give her an advantage.

Her tactics changed completely along with her fighting style as whips of water swirled out of the grates by her feet. Bullets of the element grew closer and closer to where I was standing and I used the heat erupting from my fists to evaporate the attack as soon as possible. More and more blue liquid spurted from her side of the arena and I was unable to keep up with the amounts that were nearing.

I was impressed that she had the initiative to use the opposite element against me, especially since I was less capable of controlling water in the first place. I wasn't going to let her get the better of me, however, and I dodged the majority of the incoming blasts.

Just as I thought that the Avatar had stopped her rampage, a jolt of pain spread across my abdomen. I gasped as the wind was knocked out of my lungs and everything turned white for a split second. I was flying through the air and chose to look down to try and figure out what had happened.

On my stomach rested the remains of water droplets that had soaked into the red material.

_She hit me!_ I huffed.

Standing up I flinched as the buzzer sounded twice to let me know that I had been tumbling across two zones already. If I was hit anymore I would lose…

Korra resumed another stance that I was familiar with since Earthbending was something of a specialty for me. I could see through the cloudy plastic helmet that she was smirking and I didn't want to give her the satisfaction of winning, not today anyway.

She had determination burning in her blue eyes and already she was on the move. Disks of earth rose up from the arena ground two at a time and whizzed straight past either side of my head.

_And now she thinks it's a good idea to tease me? There is __**NO**__ way that I am letting her win this!_

But I was thinking too far ahead of myself as more and more circles of dirt were being thrown at me. No matter where I turned, she had already beaten me there. The attacks directed at me where all coming from my right, so I rolled to the left to get out of the line of fire. It was then that I realised my mistake.

The whole room froze in slow motion.

I was backed into a corner.

I was already in the last zone.

A single rock disk was hurtling for my chest.

Korra was going to win.

I didn't want to move since the shock of the pain that was going to come would be great, but I also didn't want to give up so simply. My mind racked for ideas on what to do and even the past lives hadn't been offering much help these last few days. I was too busy looking inside myself for hints on what to do that I had taken my attention off of the spinning object gaining speed.

Once I concluded that I was screwed, I looked up and realised that I was going to be swimming in freezing cold water any second now.

I wouldn't say that I hated my instincts, I just thought that they always choose the worst times to kick in- this being one of those times.

I pushed my arms out in front of me to cushion the blow and squeezed my eyes shut, preparing for the pain to start spreading throughout my chest and the feeling of falling to occur.

Nope.

"EVELYN!" Iroh roared from his seat, standing abruptly up once he noticed just what was happening.

I didn't get the hit that I predicted and, realising this, I opened my eyes to see the earth disk frozen in place by my heart with my two hands either side of it.

_Shit_

I stopped the bending straight away and let the dirt clatter into dust on the floor though I already knew it was far too late to act innocent. Korra forgot all about the match and ran past the zones to meet me on the other side of the arena in a lazy jog. Asami and the General also raced down the steps to take the bridge onto the arena to join us.

"Did you just..?" Korra flicked her wrists in all directions to try and improvise the words that she couldn't grasp or dare to speak.

I bowed my head down low so that none of them could see the heat rising to my face in embarrassment. "Yes.." I mumbled, not confident in the slightest to show or admit anything.

"That's… so…COOL!" She cheered, wearing a massive grin and gently punching my shoulder to make me look up. "Finally, a powerful bender that _doesn't _want to kill me!" she joked, looking at Asami who just wore a defeated expression.

"So you don't…mind?" I asked in curiosity, not knowing whether to find it amazing or naive that she accepted my abilities with such ease.

"Well to be honest, it explains a lot," she shrugged, deliberately lifting and wiggling her hand to remind me of the spark we had both felt on previous occasions. "Plus, Mr Serious over here obviously must've already known and he hasn't tried to kill you yet," she stated, pointing a thumb over her shoulder and mimicking his usually stern expression.

"So…that's it?" I looked to each of them in question and shrugged, still expecting some sort of wild reaction.

"Pretty much," Asami nodded, thinking about all the possible outcomes that would arise from my abilities. "But I think that we should keep this power of yours quiet, then we can keep you as a surprise."

"You can be like our ninja!" Korra leaped, grabbing me by both my arms and shaking them hurriedly. "You can be !." she punched the air, " then you can…POW!" she kicked sideways, "and when they're down you can..WOOSH!" She blasted a ball of fire from her knuckles to the ground in emphasis.

"As mad as she is, Korra has a point," Iroh cut into the conversation to give his own opinion, earning a scowl from the Avatar. The exchange ran to a halt so we decided to pack things up.

"Well, anyways, I think we should tidy this place up for tomorrow. It's getting late."

Cleaning up wasn't too bad since Korra could just wash the burn marks off with water and dirt pieces could be swept into the watery depths below. Whilst we got ready to leave, I thought about the past few hours. I was amazed at how I was accepted so easily into the Avatar's group. Not only that, but we were both clear on our abilities being equal to some extent.

We left for the day and the tie that had been settled between Korra and I would have to be fixed sooner or later. Once I found out that we would be battling it out again the next day, I planned to get the upper hand.

* * *

Korra knows!

I need reviews people!

Do you want more cute moments? More action? More of Evelyn's past? Some Korrasami? Extra characters?

If you like what you're reading then Follow or Favourite!

See you next week :c)


	19. Chapter 19

Another week, another chapter :c)

Guest- You want more badass Evelyn? Well look no further!

Loonie- Mushiness and goofiness are just the best things to write about! The bad guys are definitely going to be mentioned more in further chapters since they will soon provide quite a big role...but thats enough spoilers. :P

Enjoy!

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"- but do you have any idea how we are going to infiltrate their base?" I asked Korra.

The journey to the Probending Arena was spent conversing about the recent attacks on military ships and captains within the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation colonies. I had listened to Iroh before about these attacks and he had theorised that the rebellious groups there were protecting or hiding something of importance.

"Well I haven't got the details but now that we have _you_ we can use you to our advantage."

"So I am the key to getting in?" I asked as we entered the gym area through the back door.

"Exactly!" She nudged my arm. "By the way, these guys we're meeting are good friends. You can trust them with your.." She lifted my hand up and poked my palm, "secret."

We both crossed over the practice rings and started up the steps. "So should I just tell them right out?"

"NO!" she hushed, "I want to have a bit of fun with this first," she explained, winking and making her way into the locker room.

_Do you know what she's on about?_ I mentally asked Aang since it felt like I hadn't spoken to him in a while.

In response I was greeted with the memory of a dark haired boy with green eyes looking befuddled at what was happening before him. I couldn't catch what was being said or why he was confused, but I had a good idea of what I needed to do.

I caught up with my friend and also entered the locker rooms which faced the main arena. Standing by the railing were two boys around similar height with dark hair and happy faces as they chatted to Korra who was busy waiting for me to join.

"Here she is!" The girl announced, causing the boys to turn and face me. Immediately I saw that the man in grey and green was the same one from my flashback who had been confused. The other, however, I seemed to recognise from somewhere else, but I couldn't put my finger on where.

We exchanged greetings and I saw that Bolin was the more hyperactive one that seemed to be the cheerful brother. Mako was, however, the opposite. He was very concealed and kept himself to himself, revealing little about his past. In a way he reminded me of Iroh-_wait._

_HE WAS THE MAN I BUMPED INTO AT THE STATION!_

As I stepped forward to exchange handshakes, I think that Mako also realised that we had met before and his eyes widened for a split second.

"I met you at police headquarters," he bluntly replied to my 'hello.' I nodded back and Korra snapped her fingers quickly.

"Does that mean you've already met the _chief_?" She asked in a droll voice, clearly not a massive fan of Lin's.

"Yea," I replied, "she showed me a couple of her…tricks," I winked, going along with Korra's plan to have fun confusing the boys.

We didn't seem to make much more of a conversation and I silently wished that Iroh could have joined us. In this group of people, I was the odd one out; I had no close friends here and I had only known Korra for a week or so since we met on the island. But no matter how much I wished, Iroh still had to work and go on patrols and he wouldn't be back for another week or so as he needed to scout the enemy borders and report back to his leader.

"Come on, Evelyn!" The Avatar grabbed my arm and quickly pulled me onto the bridge that led to the arena. We hadn't changed into the training clothes and I had yet to tie my hair into a ponytail. "There are only three suits so we'll be fine as we are!" She laughed over her shoulder as though she had read my mind. I was dragged into the main fighting area and the boys followed close behind at a much slower pace.

By the time we had gotten into our positions near the centre of the arena, the guys had gotten into theirs and were already in their most comfortable stances- prepared to fight. I quickly used the hair tie on my wrist to twist my hair into a bun since I had little time to brush a ponytail.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Bolin sarcastically commented, looking from Korra to me and then back again. "You know," he flexed his muscles, "we could always go easy on your friend here."

I had to stifle a laugh at that statement and I wouldn't be surprised if Korra had to do the same. Ever since I can remember, people had underestimated me. Iroh had made that mistake and so had Korra on two occasions; I was more than prepared to prove everyone wrong.

"Oh don't worry, I can handle a fellow Earthbender," I chuckled and gave a knowing look to the person by my side. From what I could see, both males in front of us perked up when they realised what my bending style would be. Well….what they thought it would be.

"Enough talk, let's go!" Korra shouted, jumping up and throwing a stream of water at Mako who had little time to react. He was hit in the side and the force pushed him back the way but his foot just missed the second zone.

Bolin immediately saw what happened and slashed his arms to send two disks of earth at me. Already preparing for the blow, I kept on my feet and side stepped, letting the disk miss. Before it left the arena, I changed the earth's path and threw it right back at him with all of my weight. Before Bolin could dodge, Mako had already shot out a fireball and crushed the disk mid-flight to save his brother.

"I see you two still have some moves!" Korra yelled as she punched forward a couple of fireballs towards the pair. I jogged on the spot to keep on my toes and shot over a couple of disks to keep the fight interesting.

We all kept the exchanges short and simple for a while, throwing and dodging hits from the opposing teams until we all grew bored of simply playing and wanted to make this more fun. Bolin began by shooting more than two disks at us, which would usually be against the rules but it's not like we had a referee, and thus Korra had to out-show him by making her attacks much more lethal.

"Is that all you've got!" the Avatar yelled, beginning to get ahead of herself and taunting the boys.

"Well I learnt a few things from working for Wu," Mako breathlessly shouted back as he weaved back and forth to avoid the flying elements.

"Hope you like flames!" Bolin joined with a grin, also having to dodge rapidly. As he spoke, he backed away from his brother who had walked as far forward as possible. Stretching forward his arms and spreading out his fingers, Mako's skin visibly began to smoke.

In response, I also moved back the way and transitioned into a heavier stance to prepare for what was to come. Korra, however, continued to act offensive to distract their concentration. Bolin blocked all of her shots whilst his brother continued to build power. Mako took a deep breath and upon release he shot ten flame spheres, one from each finger.

They came towards us and I shared a glance with Korra who seemed to formulate a plan. The other team wouldn't have seen, but Korra motioned for me to clear the flames subtly without making it look like she had done all of it. It was seemingly confusing, but I got the idea.

I took a breath and blew a small yet cooling breath through a small gap in my lips to cause the flames to dissipate around me and lowered my body temperature so that the heat wouldn't burn. Korra then made a bigger effort to get rid of the threat by splashing a sheet of water over the incoming heat.

To the boys, Korra had obviously gotten out of the situation by waterbending. Me? They had just seen the flames engulf my body and fade away without leaving even a scratch. I had a strong feeling that they would be quite befuddled…

"Woah, woah, woah…" Bolin crossed his hands over each other and shook his head, "how did you do that!" He stood up straighter whilst Mako remained ready to fight.

Instead of answering verbally I smirked and shot out more Earth which hit the man in the chest. He let out an 'oomf!' and rolled back into the last zone before toppling over the edge and into the icy waters below.

"Bolin!" Mako yelled, turning for a second to watch him fall away from vision. Before he had the chance to turn back around, Korra and I both sent pucks of dirt at him that made him tumble away to meet the same fate as his sibling. He was stubborn but that was all the more reason to beat him at his own game- literally.

The winning team (us!) walked back to the locker room to meet up with the soaked guys that seemed extremely grumpy because of their loss.

"Whatever.. _you_..did- it was cheating!" Bolin accused, pointing a finger at me and pouting his lip, still not wanting to admit defeat.

"Leave it, bro, they won," Mako grumbled, picking up a towel and throwing it over his shoulders.

"But where did you learn to fight?" Bolin wondered, still not wanting to let the topic go. "Was that what you said the chief showed you?"

I shrugged my shoulders, pulled my ponytail loose and ran my fingers through my long hair. "Not really, Iroh did."

Instantly Mako turned around and Bolin's eyebrows rose. "_General Iroh?_" They both asked in unison. I nodded and glanced over to see Korra trying to hide a growing smile.

_She already knows what's about to happen…_

"But he teaches firebending," the older brother inquired, not wanting to admit his confusion and instead, trying to make _me _the wrong one. "And even then, he only shows his highest officers new techniques."

"So?" I asked nonchalantly, acting as though this situation was boring me- which it definitely wasn't!

"-so he only showed you the fighting parts?" Bolin added, still attempting at making sense of what I was telling him.

I rolled my hands at him to signal for him to keep guessing. "And the bending parts," I included.

"So you're a firebender," he concluded with a bright smile as though he had solved the greatest mystery. That smile soon faded…"but I saw you Earthbend."

I nodded and Korra burst out laughing. The eruption of giggles found the girl clutching her stomach and the Bolin didn't seem to understand why.

"So you're an Earthbender…and a firebender.._ok…"_ He began to run his fingers through his hair and was too busy looking at the ground to watch Mako staring intensely at his, momentarily, stupid brother. "So one.." he counted on his fingers and held them up to me, "two elements?"

Mako slammed the locker door closed and banged his fist on the metal front. "_Fuck sake." _He grunted under his breath. "_Not another one.."_

"Four if you include the rest," I casually piped, still having to try _extremely_ hard not to start laughing.

"Ah..I see." The boy stayed quiet for a while and put his hands over his face.

It was silent for a while since no one really knew what to do next. It seemed as though the boys hadn't let the information sink in yet but Korra and I already had an idea about what was to come next.

"HOW!" Bolin yelled, finally snapping and going a little crazy. "How is this…_SHE'S_ THE AVATAR!"

"Well," Korra coughed, finally deciding to join in, "let's just say that she's our weapon and we need you to keep everything you know quiet," she punched both men's shoulders to ease the tension that was slowly building.

"How can you trust her?" Mako hissed to Korra as he pulled at her arm. "You don't know anything about her!"

"Evelyn! Apparently I know nothing about you, tell me something to make me trust you!" The Avatar smiled and shouted over at me to prove a point. She and I had already spoken about my powers the night before and I had even told her about Aang and where I came from. After telling Iroh everything, I felt as though a giant weight had been lifted from my shoulders- it meant that telling my new friend was nothing I couldn't manage.

"Well Aang sent me to help you and I am not even from here so it's not like I know anyone else," I shouted back casually, causing everyone to stand still at the mention of Aang.

"He _sent_ you?" Mako repeated in a disbelieving tone as he bowed his head in defeat, "Seriously Korra, I am sick of your games."

"No, you don't understand, he needed her and came with her here," she attempted to explain, losing the joking side and becoming much more serious.

"What do you mean he _came with her_?"

"_Err…_" I didn't really know what to say since it wasn't like it was the easiest thing to comprehend.

_Help me! What am I going to do? There is no way that they will believe me!_

**_'Meditate; you know how to do it. It will separate our spirits so they can see you're not lying.'_**

Well that was pretty blunt.

**_'I heard that…'_**

"Just bare with me," I asked as I crossed my legs on the cold locker room floor. Although it was difficult in my attempts with Jinora, I was determined to do this. I thought that maybe this time it would be different since the other souls were also going to try the same thing and the outcome might actually be what I wanted for once.

I could feel my body lifting up and I tried to focus on separating myself rather than on the glares I was getting from the siblings. As I opened my eyes I noticed the blue aura around me and I suddenly knew exactly what was happening. Korra herself was even shocked because this was one of the small things I had forgotten to mention to her.

I stood and the collective gasps let me know that I had succeeded.

"Is that you?" Korra asked as she waved her hand through my blue transparent copy.

As if on cue, the form changed to look like someone else…Aang. I was stood in between the two boys and I couldn't help but smirk as they realised that the past lives had actually been _inside _of me this whole time.

It was a shame that he was unable to talk since he was still technically bound to me, but his image was still able to be projected onto the crystalline body. I moved and sat back in my normal position and returned to my usual state.

"See," I chirped, glad that I was able to finalise my point, "all of the wisdom and power is right here," I said, placing a hand on my heart.

Silence…

"So you can blow stuff up too?"

* * *

So Bolin and Mako have finally appeared together and we're getting so close to the main plot build!

After some tedious work I have also made this story available on WattPad! So you can check it out there too! (story has the same name)

**IMPORTANT NOTICE!**

so, so, so, so, so sorry to say that next week there will be no update 'cause I'm going on holidayyyyy! So you'll have to wait for a bit for another chapter :(

**-**Because of this sad setback, I have decided that I shall give you wondrous viewers a chance to have your own character in the story! All you need to do is review and post a name underneath and the best comments will have their characters in an upcoming chapter!

Don't be a silent reader: Review!


	20. Chapter 20

Like I said in the previous chapters end notes, I will not be posting a chapter for this story this week :'(

It's sad, I know, but I am still in the slightly less wet area of England called Devon for the next couple of days. This note has been made on my phone so I will apologise for any spelling errors or whatnot in advance because I have a feeling that autocorrelation will completely destroy the message...but anyways:

The upcoming chapters will start to tell the main story which will be filled with action, mystery and some lovey dovey moments between Iron and Evelyn (sorry, my phone doesn't like the name Iron..I mean iron. .IRON ..Ah forget it)

But to make my story fit all your liking I'll need comments/ reviews from you. I know that typing in the little box at the bottom can be such hard work but I believe in you!

Do you want more romance?

Would you prefer new characters?

And last of all I want to give you the chance to have your name or your own character in this story!

Just comment like usual and then add a name below it. You don't have to be a member of the site to do this so, even if you are a guest, anyone can try!

Lots of hugs,

MarvelAssassin


	21. Chapter 21

Hello! I'm back this week with another chapter! I am so, so sorry that I made you guys wait another week for an update but I hope that I made up for it by making this one TWICE AS LONG! Enjoy :c)

**Seeker5**\- I am so happy that you reviewed! I missed all of your lovely comments from previous chapters and was glad when I saw that you responded to last week's note! I totally agree with your Bolin suggestion and after some tweaking I've actually managed to include some of him in this chapter too! I've make a note at the bottom about the upcoming villain and the name thing so make sure you check that out :D

**Loonie**\- Like I said at the top: I am so sorry that last week wasn't what you hoped it was. I feel really rotten that I didn't have a chapter ready in time BUT I'M BACK! And this week's is basically two in one to make up for lost time :D As I said to Seeker5, I've make a note at the bottom with more info about the name thing so make sure you take a peek!

* * *

Why are clothes so itchy?

I missed my usual green dress and wanted nothing more than to put on some soft and warm leggings…but no. I was supposed to be a _'lady'_ as Asami put it. Fitted gowns with tight skirts and ridiculous necklines were _not _my type, so the second I was squashed and squeezed into a teeny, tiny, red shiny dress I wanted **OUT**.

"We need you to have a decent disguise!" Korra yelled, already tired of hearing my grumbling complaints. "Why won't you just wear one?"

I was behind the changing room curtain in some fancy designer store that Asami liked, trying to peel off some silky fabric that was statically shocked onto my skin. "Because how am I supposed to fight when I can't even breathe without breaking some stitches?" I yelled as I finally managed to change back into my normal, soft, comfortable clothes.

"You're not supposed to fight them," Asami reasoned, throwing one of the dresses I had previously tried over her arm. "You just have to get the info we need."

I appeared out from behind the curtain and sat down beside Korra in the waiting room. "So I'm going to be your…spy?" I asked, thinking that if I was to infiltrate a rebel group's headquarters then I should be able to at least have some fun with it!

"Yep, and you'll also need an alias to get you in."

"So a back story too?" I said excitedly, figuring that I should ask as many questions as possible so that I knew _exactly_ what I needed to do. If I had the role right, then it would only make my job easier to do.

Asami quickly left with the outfit, leaving Korra and I in the room with piles of discarded dresses and suits lying around.

"You got it! We'll give you a whole new persona and a reason to 'join' that group of theirs."

The dark haired girl returned moments later with a giant black bag, hearing the last part of our short conversation. "We want you to look the part too; they won't just accept anyone."

"So," I began as I shuffled around like a child ready for a story, "tell me about myself."

The girls looked at one another and Asami pulled out a dark piece of red fabric from the bag, causing Korra to grin widely and put on a posh and uptight accent.

"You are Evelyn Lawliet, daughter of a Fire Nation Duke and heiress to a construction company for the United Nation's Army," she recited perfectly, as though announcing my arrival to a king or queen.

"I don't have to speak like that, do I?" I quickly asked; horrified in case I had to do so.

She laughed. "No, no, don't you worry, we have almost everything sorted anyway. Iroh gets back tonight so we can make him sign for a fake blueprint order, that way your identity seems legit." We got up out of our seats and made our way out of the store and towards the ferry.

I was so glad that Iroh was finally going to be back today. I missed him so much and the past two weeks had been much less interesting when no one's around to talk to but there was still something on my mind that I had constantly thought back to: the kiss…well…kisses. He had left the day after, early in the morning, without saying goodbye and I was disappointed that I hadn't had the chance to see him off. It was true that I liked him a lot and it was apparent that he felt the same that night, but for some reason I worried more about him now. He was more than capable of taking care of himself but it was still nerving to know he was out on duty.

"Hey Evelyn!" Korra yelled from ahead- I must've slowed my pace whilst thinking about the General so I jogged ahead to catch up with the girls. "You mind if we go back on Naga?"

At the mention of her name, the pet bounded up behind the avatar and used her giant wet nose to nudge at Korra's back.

"Sure, I don't mind," I said, walking over to the big animal. It was the closest I had ever been to something like this and she was massive!

Lifting my leg up, I cautiously stepped on the foot hold and hoisted myself up, sliding back to make room so that Asami could also get on.

Once all three of us were ready, Naga sprinted forward, causing me to jolt back and almost fall off the edge. Luckily I managed to grab the back of Asami's jacket to keep me steady and pull myself back up.

Korra continued to race ahead, yelling in joy at the freedom and darted around market stalls and stray cars. But something was wrong. We had already started to run down past the docks and my eyes were beginning to water. I felt like clawing at my throat from the dry and itchy feeling that was building up there. Not only that, but I was nearly blinded by the sore sensation building in my eyes, causing me to crush them closed for the rest of the journey.

The ferry was vastly approaching and the closer we got, the more I was anxious I was to get off. With my arms wrapped tightly around Asami's waist, I was unable to sooth my face and I had to fight to stop tears from rolling down my cheeks.

We finally made it and I hopped off, turning away from my company to rub at my eyes with my free limbs and remove stray water droplets that threatened to stain my cheeks.

"Are you ok?" The Sato girl asked with concern in her voice once she saw what I was doing.

"Yeah, I'm fi..fi.." I couldn't talk and I found that the air was trapped in my lungs. A tickling sensation reached my nose so I covered it to stop the awful feeling. I didn't know what was happening at the time but it was like I was unable to breathe out properly.

Both of the girls started laughing at my surprised expression when I screwed my face up and let out a dainty 'choo!' My eyes widened straight away and the shock was evident until the same noise was repeated: 'choo!'

"Bless you," Korra chuckled as we waited for the boat to take us to Air Temple Island. Luckily, we were some of the only people on board so my constant reactions weren't attracting any attention.

"What was..choo!..that?" I asked whilst rubbing my eyes; confused as to what was happening to my body and why I was reacting in such a way.

"You must be allergic to Naga," Asami explained. "Look…" she lifted my hand to my face and I saw the tint of light blue that adorned my skin."When you sneeze it's much **much** brighter."

_Sneeze?_ What kind of word was that? It felt like an illness and I was already tired of the constant reactions that I was getting. From looking at the girl's reactions I could tell that this was common and not that serious so I shouldn't really have been too worried about it.

"But I've been near her…before," I said weakly between sneezes.

"It'll be the fur," Korra added, making everything seem to add up, "since you're no longer in the wind your having the reaction now."

_Great,_ I thought.

I arrived to the island late in the evening in a terrible state: with windblown hair sticking out in all directions and I was still glowing with a slight blue hue that spiked in colour at regular intervals, I was dying of thirst and my throat still itched horribly. To get to my room without gaining attention, I held my breath to pause my sneezing fits and ran as fast as I could away from Naga. I rounded the towers and crossed the courtyards at record speed, thudded into the building I was staying in and charged through the corridors that lead to my room.

"Oomf!"

The air was knocked out of my lungs, I was pressed up against someone's chest and a strong pair of hands held my back steady to stop me falling away from the impact. I finally allowed myself to breathe since I was now well away from the polar bear dog and the blue should have long faded from my skin.

"Found you," a deep voice replied which caused me to look up and meet with Iroh's gaze. Once I finally registered that I was pressed against him, I wrapped my arms around his waist and looked up into his dark amber eyes. Being the gentle giant he was, Iroh leaned down to land a peck on my lips in apology, "sorry for not waiting on you," he whispered shamefully, averting his eyes as he apologised for not saying goodbye when he had left to work.

I gently kissed him back, still not used to how it felt, and tried to speak with my sore throat from the reaction earlier. "It's alright," I croaked, rubbing at my neck. He seemed to notice and placed a hand on my back, releasing me from his hug.

"You need a drink," he stated whilst guiding me into my room and pulling out a cup, filling it with water and handing it to me. I downed the drink in seconds and passed him the cup back in a silent gesture to refill it. When he did so, I drank the whole thing again in an attempt to soothe the pain.

"Don't drink too fast, you'll get…"

"Hic!" I covered my mouth in horror as another strange noise sounded from my body.

"..hiccups." He tried to warn.

With wide eyes, I looked over to the general who seemed to understand completely what was going on. "Hic!" This sound was much more consistent than the sneezing but luckily it wasn't as loud, however I still kept my hand firmly clasped over my mouth.

Somehow, the noise still appeared and when I could see the smile building on Iroh's face, I hit his arm playfully, only making the smile bigger.

"It's not…hic!...funny!" I tried to say as I removed my hand, only to see that it was pulsing blue in rhythm with my hiccups. The man before me was nearly laughing and I was close to actually slapping him for being so childish. "Stop it!" I shouted, finding his chuckle contagious.

"Fine, good luck getting rid of them without me.." He said, pretending to pout and storm out of the door.

"Tell...hic!..me! Please!" I begged, wanting to put an end to all these new problems as soon as possible.

"I think blue suits you.." he thought aloud by the doorway, deliberately ignoring my distress and prolonging my _sickness_.

I lunged at him and knocked him down to the ground with my hands either side of his head. "Tell me or..hic!..I'll beat your ass!" I threatened from above, though not doing a very good job of it. His reply was more laughing and a pat on the head. "Ugh, Iroh your such a..hic!..pain," I sighed in defeat and slumped down to rest my head on his chest.

"I know, just take a deep breath through your mouth, hold it, and gently breathe out through your nose," he rumbled from beneath me, his voice sounding deeper when I had my ear on his chest.

I got off of him reluctantly and stood up, doing as he told me to and after a few attempts at breathing the constant noise was gone, leaving me as my usual self. He got up from the ground and stood by my side.

"Thanks," I said in defeat as I playfully smacked his shoulder.

"Here," Iroh passed me a thin folder from within his jacket with a couple of papers stacked inside and a neat signature at the bottom of each. "These are the fake construction orders Korra asked me to get. It took a while, but I managed to make a copy of some that we received not too long ago. I figure you're the one they're for."

At the mention of the mission, I remembered today's events in the store and the horrid dress that I would be forced into. "Yeah they're mine," I sighed as I took them from him. "I'm pretending to be a Duke's daughter from the Firenation."

"Really? Who's the Duke?" He asked with obvious interest as he sat on the edge of the bed. I walked over and joined him.

"I don't know, but my new surname is 'Lawliet.'" I said, thinking back to the back story that I had been given.

"He's a friend, Korra must've pulled some strings to let you use his name. But there's a problem, both him and his wife are pure Firenation heritage."

"What do you mean?"

"Well," he began, "they both have the traditional traits of someone from the capital: dark hair, pale skin and golden eyes."

I could understand what he meant and I placed a hand to my face. "My eyes.."

"..are beautiful," Iroh mused before he realised what he had said and looked away to hid the red that I could see colouring his cheeks. I could feel the heat rise to my face and I held his hand to show my appreciation as he continued, "but I haven't seen a colour as dark blue as this anywhere. No matter where you say you are from you'll still need coloured contacts, so don't worry about it."

I was slightly upset that I wouldn't be able to have one of my unique traits on show, but I was also glad that I was going to be more of an undercover agent for team Avatar. I didn't know much about agents but Korra had shown me some 'James Bond' movies over the past week to get me in the mood for our upcoming adventure- apparently, stealth and good looks are the key.

"I wonder if even you will recognise me when the time comes."

Four hours. It took Asami four hours to make me look prim and proper from my usual state. I thought that before I looked fine, but nope! I watched helplessly from my seat beside a huge mirror as the dark haired girl dabbed at my face with strange brushes and odd smelling products that left me feeling concealed under a thick, gloopy mask. I was able to see what was happening most of the time through the mirror, but even then I never understood what she was doing exactly with all the fancy colours and pencils.

"Hold still," she mumbled with a makeup brush held in her mouth. I closed my eyes and did my best not to move an inch as she drew something on my eyes with a black paint of some sort. There was way too much trouble being put into my eye detail but compared to before, this was no big deal.

Earlier, I had been ushered into the bathroom with the girl holding two small plastic containers. Inside there were a pair of orange circles that were barely the size of a fingertip and Asami placed one onto her hand before dragging me close to her. I had to stand there as she literally poked at my eyes to get these small objects in them!

Now, however, I had moved onto getting my hair pinned. This wasn't anything special since I had seen this exactly hairstyle worn by my mother on various occasions. It was pulled up into a tight topknot and held in place by a single pin. Father would also wear such a style, but he would also have a small headpiece that sat above it- similar to Roku's.

Once that was complete and I felt as though I had been transformed into a new person, Korra waltzed into the room with my dress bag.

"Well don't you look elegant!" She gushed, placing the dress over a spare chair and rushing over to where I was sat. "I know a certain prince who's gonna love this!"

I ignored Korra's comments but blushed all the same and stood up to open the dress bag. The girls had kept the whole thing a secret so I had no clue what I was actually going to be wearing. Unzipping the bag, I immediately realised how silky the material was which meant that it was less likely going to be as tight as the others that I had tried. Pulling the entire outfit out, I saw that it was actually made up of lots of different pieces that would fit together to make the dress.

I looked over to the couple in confusion.

"You haven't seen this one before. We thought you would be more comfortable in this," Asami explained as she walked over to where I was. She passed me the main body of the dress that seemed to have a semi sweetheart neckline with a floor length skirt that didn't seem too tight to be uncomfortable.

"So I tried on all those dresses for _nothing_," I stated rather than asked.

"Yep!" Korra grinned. "We just needed to know what size you were. Your usual clothes don't exactly give us the measurements we need."

I ignored her and swiftly changed into the new outfit and found that it was a **very **loose fit. Panicked, I called for some help.

Korra came running in and smiled at my idiocy. "I still need to tighten the back up," she said as she pulled me out of the changing room. Reaching into the bag once more, a long thin, black sash was pulled out and looped through the corset on my back. Once Korra had laced it up, Asami rushed over and managed to create a delicate bow that sat at the bottom of my back with the strands hovering just off of the floor.

"This is just for show so you can take it off when you don't need it," Asami mentioned, lifting a metal cage thing from the bottom of the bag. She unclasped the back and the bracket opened up. I had it sat on my shoulders with the top part wrapped around my neck. It was like some sort of brace that covered my exposed neck and chest with a spider web pattern and I would admit that I quite liked having the heavy object there.

Now that I was dressed and made up, I was excited to see what I looked like. I had only seen my face whilst getting my makeup done, but I had no clue how well the dress looked or if I seemed any different now that the outfit was complete. I left my room and walked through into the empty bathroom found within the dormitories.

I was a whole new person. My porcelain skin was already a stark contrast to my hair but the amber in my eyes was brought to life with the black and gold eye shadow that framed my lashes. If anything, I seemed like a doll and in a sense, I was. My sole purpose at the moment was determined by others and I was just a pawn in this game. Little did the enemy know that I was the queen in disguise…

I left feeling confident in my looks and motivation. Today was the day that everything changed and I would become the key to success.

"Evelyn wait!" Asami yelled as she barged into the bathroom armed with a pair of pointy shoes and a golden tube of red lipstick. She forced the flats onto my feel and smothered my lips in the dark colour to add the finishing touches before I would have to leave.

I was escorted outside to the docks by the Avatar, Tenzin's family and the two brothers who wished me good luck in my journey. The family still had no clue about my powers so they would be in for quite a surprise when I finally had the chance to tell them all about me.

Along the shore was the same ship that I had spent months travelling on with Iroh and his crew. From where I stood I could already see Ronny rushing around to prepare the ship for sailing once more and Shóu was just idly standing on the deck with his arms crossed- the usual.

"IROH!" Korra shouted from my side where our arms were linked, "GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE TO SEE YOUR GIRLFRIEND!" I felt the heat rise to my cheeks at her statement and I was glad that I had so much makeup on that it would hide the red colouring my face. The thing was: I wasn't able to defend myself from what she said because, well, in a sense it was true. I hit her arm as a sign to shut up.

"Come on, we all know!" She defended, "You think we don't realise when you two suddenly vanish?"

I stayed quiet and bowed my head in defeat. She was right. It was silly to think that no one would have noticed if I was gone. We walked closer to the boat docked at the end and I was passed a small parasol to keep the wind from messing up my hair. It was a delicate floral design which complimented my look and the red was also a good match.

"Woah…" I turned to the side to see Iroh slowing his pace once he realised that I was the one all dolled up. "You look..different," he stuttered in an attempt to find words. Walking forward, he extended his arms and held my free hand in his.

"You think it's convincing?" I winked, using my actions to hide the nerves that were building deep within.

"You look like royalty!" He exclaimed, shaking his head in disbelief. "And your eyes-"

"JUST KISS HER ALREADY!" I could hear Bolin yelling and stomping impatiently from besides his brother who just sighed irritably.

"NO!" Asami blurted, pulling me back, "You'll ruin it!"

_Yeah, the moment,_ I thought. Instead, I wriggled out of the girl's grasp and walked back over to where the General stood and pulled his jacket down so that his face was at my level. Quick and softly, I planted a kiss on his cheek, pulling away and grinning at the red stain it had left behind.

"What are you-" he placed his had where I had kissed him and pulled it away to see the colour rubbed onto his fingertips. Quickly, as though it was the most disgusting thing in the world, he rubbed his sleeve onto his cheek to remove the mark and looked back to check that none of his men had seen the display.

"Come on lovebirds, we need to get you to the train station!"

I got into the ship and stayed low, away from the wind, until we arrived over in Republic city. Asami had already called for a taxi by the time we had gotten there and a big carriage had arrived to take us all to the main station.

I picked up my dress and hopped in, excited to begin this new adventure as a completely different person. I wouldn't lie and say I was fine, because I wasn't. Nerves were building already and the thought of being trapped in a building with complete strangers was daunting, but I knew that out of everyone there, I was going to be the most capable. All those months of training had paid off and if I needed to, I could defeat any opponent thrown my way- at least, I hoped so.

After a while of being rattled around in the taxi, we arrived at an old, broken building covered in vines and rubble with only the doorways and windows clear of debris.

_What happened here?_

"I see that not everywhere has been completely repaired after Kuvira's attack," Iroh stated as though he read my mind. Whatever this 'attack' had consisted of, it was huge.

All six of us walked onto the platform after paying for a ticket and waited by the tracks for my transport.

It was damp inside and people with empty cups were sat in ragged clothes along the wall's edge, begging for food or coin. Passersby ignored their pleas and acted as though they didn't exist at all, too busy reading their fresh paper and getting to where they needed to be.

"Here," Korra pushed a small black purse into my hand with was much heavier than it seemed, "This has your ticket, a GPS tracker, the file from Iroh and a case for your contacts. Asami showed you what to do with your looks so just keep that up." A loud horn was heard in the near distance.

"You need to get in there, find out as much as you can, and every three nights you need to leave and meet us in the nearest village to you. We can locate you whenever you click the button on your tracker," Iroh quickly added as the train rapidly approached.

"Good luck," Asami smiled.

The huge locomotive stopped in front of us and the gigantic doors slid open, covered in smoke and dust from the train's fumes.

In seconds, I was wrapped up in a tight embrace from all directions as all of my friends covered me in their forms whilst Mako just refused to join. I guess he still didn't trust me.

"Stay safe, I can't afford to lose you," my dearest friend ordered sternly, being the last to let go.

"ALL ABOARD!" A conductor bellowed from his post on the platform, ringing a bell to get everyone's attention. I stepped unsurely through the metal doors and turned back to see everyone waving me off. I continued to look back until the doors finally closed.

"Your ticket, madam?" A skinny bald man asked, pushing his small, round glassed up. I unclipped my purse and handed him the golden ticket, watching his eyes narrow slightly as he tried to read the small print. "This way, milady."

I was taken through various parts of the carriages from the rough seats holding large families and crying children to luxurious suites, each with dedicated staff members to offer expensive drinks and gourmet food. I was placed into a nice and quiet area with only a few other people- mostly businessmen- so I had a good place to think whilst I was on my way.

I felt _wrong_. I needed to physically have someone by my side that I could count on yet here I was-alone. I had been with Korra and her friends for a month now and already I was finding it difficult to stay away from them. Sure, I liked the peace and quiet that I would get now that I was far enough from squealing kids and hyperactive Avatars, but I would miss the security that I felt with them all around. And Iroh? I didn't even know what we were to one another just yet. We had kissed on more than one occasion and I felt a new kind of safe whenever I was wrapped in his arms. But the thing was; I wasn't like _any_ of them. I was part spirit. How would I cope when they all grow old and start moving apart? Unlike them, I am unable to witness the feeling of nostalgia for myself.

Could I stay with them? Would I have to go _home_? Where even _is _home anymore? Too many questions rattled through my brain and I didn't have the patience to sit and think them all through.

For now I would just wait and twiddle my thumbs. The future can just play out by itself.

* * *

We are finally moving into the main plot! Evelyn is now off to investigate the enemy's base and you're going to have to wait another week to find out what happens next! *Laughs evilly*

**IMPORTANT NOTICE!**

In regards to having your own character in the story, I've decided that EVERYONE WILL GET ONE! WOOOO!

I've already decided on who Ray (Seeker5) and Skye (Loonie) will play as and I have their characters in mind, but ANYONE ELSE IS FREE TO ENTER TOO!

Just review and write a name below it and I will add you to future chapters! In all fairness, you might have to wait a while for the chapter to pop up since OC's can't be just throw in randomly and I want to make sure that each name has a few lines too :P

From what I already have you may have to wait for a max of 5 chapters before your person appears but it'll be worth it! I promise!


	22. Chapter 22

SilverStorm- Another name, Yay! You might have to wait a few more chapters before she is introduced but it'll be worth it!

Loonie- I honestly don't even know how to thank you enough for your reviews! You manage to cheer me up after every chapter and I honestly don't know how I would manage without all of your lovely comments :) As for your character, you'll also have to wait a bit since I have the perfect person in mind for you but she isn't added until a little later on (about three more chapters) so I hope you don't mind :P

This is the first chapter to include a reviewer's character! Hope you enjoy!

* * *

I had continued to find and get the things I wanted easily in this world without much persuasion or hard work. The souls inside of me had helped in more ways than one and I wasn't sure that I was doing enough to deserve their company. In a way I was only a figure head, someone that was taking the credit for someone else's work. In truth, it wasn't really **me** doing any of the labour in this adventure. Without the powers bestowed upon me, I wouldn't even be here right now and the friends that I had met along the way were only allies in my journey.

I was here. The ride had been peaceful and calm but that was all about to change. I had taken time to think on my way here and the more I thought, the more I wanted to complete this.

I had given the past souls my body, and in return they had given me a whole new world to explore, friends to confide in and a mission that would change my life forever. For once, I was able to do something _by myself_. This was something that I didn't need their help for. Without this we wouldn't be able to proceed in our mission so by successfully doing my job I can pay my worth to the Avatars. **I would succeed.**

"And you are?" A gruff man huffed. We were stood outside a small warehouse in the north of the Firenation Colonies which was pretty much just a land of dust and sand with the odd village scattered nearby. The body guard covering the door was the grotesque being talking to me now with the stench of rotten meat surrounding him, causing me to limit my breathing very slightly without his notice; he clearly hadn't shaven in quite some time and spikes of matted hair had clumped together where his beard was thickest.

_Act innocent and small. Innocent and small. Innocent and small._

"Oh, my, I'm Evelyn Lawliet," I bowed my head submissively with a curtsy and made my voice slightly higher than usual, "I don't mean to disturb."

"What business do you have here?" he grunted, clearly not impressed with my false status.

"I would like to speak with the manager here, if that is not too much trouble." Tilting my head slightly, I awaited his response.

"We have no interest in petty saleswomen. Get lost before I have to remove you," he spat, taking advantage of my slightly smaller height.

"I heard about what you're all doing," I squeaked, still playing the shy and harmless woman. The man raised an eyebrow as a sign to continue. "It's not fair that the Army wants to own everything they see and with my help you can prevent it further."

"And what can a little brat like you do?" He crossed his arms. I had to try my best not to give him a death glare and smack him for that comment, but I contained my annoyance.

"Well I'm actually the heir to my father's Construction and Supply Company." At the mention of a defence business I noticed how the man's arms loosened and his eyes widened slightly. "I could easily make the shipments reach a new location if needed."

Without replying, he turned around and opened the warehouse's doors which creaked and moaned at the movement, as though they were trying to tell the bodyguard that I shouldn't be let in. Once the entrance was opened, it revealed merely a metal detector with trays and a single turnstile. The place was much more sterile than I had anticipated with polished walls that glinted silver and a lonely light bulb that hung loosely from the high ceiling.

Before I made my move forward I discretely opened my purse, using my big sleeves as cover for my actions, and pulled out the tracking device I had been given. Positioning it in my palm, I closed the purse and held each object in separate hands.

I stepped through into the spacious room and walked over to the metal detector, turning around to witness the doors being closed behind me and cutting off much of the light.

"_Step through the detector,"_ a buzzing voice replied from within the shadows. It must have been through one of the speakers I had also seen dotted around so I automatically presumed that there were cameras hidden throughout the room as well.

_Well they're certainly secretive. I still find it odd that they let me in here so easily, for all they know I could be a short tempered spirit with the capability of destroying everything here, _I thought. From what I had seen on previous occasions, this realm was filled with naïve men and women that either have too much trust in others, or just have nothing to lose. Not that I could really prove a point; I had left with Aang and Iroh with little to no information about either of them.

Anyway, I decided to play along with this little game.

I moved the hand with the tracker up to my chest in feign surprise at hearing the voice and dropped the object into my cleavage without making it seen by the cameras- it was uncomfortable, but effective.

Now that everything was in place, I put my black bag into one of the metal trays beside it and walked into the false doorway.

Rotors and spinning metal plates whizzed around my body and scanned every inch of me, beeping at regular intervals. Once the movement had ceased and I was free to move about, I exited the object and retrieved my items that had travelled to the other side. A screen glowed up in the dark room and it displayed the contents of my bag on one side, and the scan on my body which revealed the metal lining of my clothes and a round metal circle on my chest which looked like a simple broach.

_"You are clear," _another light lit up on the far side of the room, _"proceed into the next room."_

The voice that I had been hearing through the broadcast sounded droll and deep. From that I could deduce that he, whoever it was, had done this routine before quite often.

I did as he said and picked up my belongings on the way there, only stopping to make sure that everything was still where it should be. The door that I passed through was much smaller than the warehouse's main entrance so I could easily open it myself. I reached forward and shook my arm a bit so that the long sleeves would roll up to reveal my hands and twisted the handle.

To keep up the act I whimpered very quietly and hesitated to pull the door open. I did the action slowly, as though I found such a simple object heavy and slid through, hearing the lock drill shut behind me.

"Sit."

A voice, not unlike the one I had heard over the speakers, came from the old man sat with his legs crossed in front of an antique gong and miniature television screen that showed the warehouse I had just passed through. I was unsure of what to do and chose to take a seat on one of the small chairs in the corner of the room. With his back turned to me, the old monk spoke.

"You are here to form an alliance, yes?" He questioned, his age apparent in his tired voice.

"I hope so," I sounded, trying to sound shy and unsure but still offering an answer. I flattened the front of my dress out in fake nervousness and shifted in place, looking down to the hem of my dress and the dirt ground.

"Well then!" He suddenly changed his attitude and whipped around before he remained still for some time. "I see no reason not to consider your offer. We could do with some repairs here and there."

I just nodded silently.

"I hope Ray didn't bother you too much," he chuckled and patted my shoulder. "He can just get a bit precautious."

I squirmed under his touch and shook my head. "It was no bother," I said truthfully.

"Well anyway, we will let the spirits judge you." His large smile filled up his wrinkling face as he stood up and gestured for me to shake his hand. "They will determine whether you are to be trusted."

I stood and accepted his hand warily.

"This way, my dear," he clutched my hand and pulled me along through another set of doors and a corridor. These halls were much different to the warehouse and were made up of dusty cream brick that looked well aged and tired. We must have been going through into a separate building all together so I could tell that the warehouse was just a cover up for what actually lay within. In my mind I tried to remember exactly where we were and pictured a map building in my head, after all- I was a_ construction _expert.

After weaving through various passages and doorways we arrived to a grand hall lined with pews and multiple smaller chairs in the main part of the building. Near the top end of the room an altar stood on cracked stone with metal crosses sat on either side of it. The room was otherworldly, and to me, it was true. The delicate tapestries that wrapped around the pillars which lined up the aisle were intricate and beautiful to look at. There was no doubt that this place had an interesting tale to tell and I found myself wanting to learn more already.

As we walked closer to the lectern I noticed that not all of the building was intact. The back wall was destroyed; stained glass windows were broken and shattered within the remains of the brick and behind lay overgrown flowers and bushes that battled to enter the church.

I was too absorbed in wonderment that I hadn't been paying attention to my guide.

"Madam?" He pulled at my hand to make me continue our movement to the altar. I picked my dress up elegantly to get up some small steps and flicked it back in place as we reached our destination.

"Father, we have someone here for judgement."

_Father?_ I was so confused in that moment, but decided to ignore it and focus back on the matter at hand.

"My, oh my, I am terribly sorry," a young man dressed in black was huddled beneath the bible stand and looked as though he was struggling to find something. "I will be with you in just one moment," he muttered, still engrossed in his search.

A couple of meters away, underneath a piece of red glass, I spotted a small glinting object. Leaving the elderly man's grip, I released his hand and retrieved the item: a pair of glasses.

"Is this what you are looking for, sir?" I held out the object in my palm. He leaned in close to my hand and gave out a smile. Taking the item, he cleaned the lenses on his sleeve and placed them on his tanned nose.

"Why thank you, milady," he bowed. Since I was still supposed to be the dainty little noble woman, I looked away in embarrassment and he smiled shyly. "This church has certainly seen better days."

I matched his smile as he continued.

"Hui, shall we start straight away?"

"Indeed," the old man replied, gesturing for me to step forward. The younger boy stood on one side of the altar whilst I remained on the other, watching as he poured some water into the large crystalline bowl between us.

"This isn't going to hurt, is it?" I whimpered, putting my hands behind my back.

"Not at all," the 'father' reassured me, "I just need you to touch the water for me."

_So that was it!_ The bowl in front of me must have been filled with spirit water that they would have collected from the nearest portal to my world. By touching the water the men will know if I am a pure hearted person. I learnt this from my mother, among other things, that if a human with an evil aura touches the water then it will dim in colour and become grey and cloudy. If someone with true intentions touches it, then it would glow a brilliant blue. Luckily for me I'm a spirit so the outcome will always be the same.

I reach forward and touched the surface of the water, dipping my hands in and submerging them in the cool bowl. After a few seconds of waiting, the liquid shone pure white, encasing my palms and knuckles in the bright light.

I gasped and pulled my hands out, stopping the judgment in false surprise. "What was that?" I quickly rushed, clutching my hands together.

Looking around I saw that both men were struck for words and I had to stop myself from laughing at their obliviousness.

"What is your name, my lady?" The priest asked in awe.

"E-Evelyn Lawliet," I stammered.

"You are the chosen one," Hui mysteriously bowed which caused his red robes to sweep the floor. "We welcome you with many honours to our temple."

_You're kidding, right?_ They seriously thought that because the water turned a colour they hadn't seen before that I was the **chosen one?** I thought that these people would be smart or at least precautious, but obviously not.

"Chosen one?" I repeated in an attempt to get more information from them. Unsurprisingly, it worked.

"You have been sent to us by the Gods to guide us. The Godly glow from this bowl has proved that you are who we have been awaiting! It has been prophesised!"

_Of course it has._

* * *

And there we go! Don't worry about Evelyn becoming a 'Mary Sue' in this story because I have plans for future chapters!

Seeker5- I hope you liked the little bit with your character in it! But this certainly isn't the last time we'll see him...

**REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!**

(Having your own person included is still open!)


	23. Chapter 23

4000 views! It might not sound like much but I absolutely treasure each and every time someone looks at my work :D

Guest- Yes! I thought that since she's part spirit, Evelyn should at least show some of her cool powers :P I also love the name Arno and have a good character that should suit the name perfectly…

\- I'm glad that you like the change in plot and I will definitely start getting deep into the story- so stay tuned!

Seeker5- You're welcome! I am more than happy to let my viewers have a part in this story! I hope you aren't too offended that I made the character quite grumpy and horrid but it's because he has an important evil part in later chapters ;)

Enjoy :c)

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I woke up feeling groggy to say the least. From what little I could remember, I had been dragged throughout the spacious temple and shown hundreds of artefacts of all shapes and sizes that glistened in glass casings. The tour had guided me through the various corridors and passages of the building that would take me to anywhere I wished to go. But there was one thing that I couldn't quite remember. Why were they so nice?

Oh yeah, I'm the _chosen one_.

It was such a cliqued concept. I don't quite understand why they thought that such a thing was even possible. I mean, _sure,_ the Avatar is a chosen person but that's a random choice and other than that, there isn't much else to compare it to. The only reason they all thought I was some magical anomaly was because the water proved that I was different. Although they didn't understand what it really meant, I couldn't exactly tell them straight out what I was; it would only cause too much trouble for me and them since my mission was to extract information anonymously. At least this meant I could probably get special access to see whatever it is they're planning.

One of the many things that I didn't understand, was that fighting wasn't something that these people seemed capable of. Every person that I had met was strongly against the concept of war and destruction. Even after I had told them all about 'my company' they only wanted to use the tools and equipment for repair and defence rather than to harm others. If anything, it seemed as though they were protecting something here- just like Iroh had predicted.

As much as I think the Army wanted this land, I didn't believe that they would openly harm anyone here. The land was empty. The villages would probably be barren and the only source of income would be from the mines dotted all over the desert. From what I could tell, this was a military operation. There was no way that soldiers would just walk all over this land so it only made sense to send in spies to find out information. Now that I thought about it- _I _was a spy.

She couldn't have, could she? Korra wouldn't use me like a pawn for the Army without telling me, right? And even so, Iroh would have needed to be in on the plan and there was no way he would do such a thing... I had been told that the Avatar didn't work directly with the Military to prevent her from taking sides and becoming a weapon for them. So what was I? A back up weapon? A replacement?

I shouldn't have been thinking so deeply into trivial matters. I probably just made everything more complicate in my mind and over thought it all. I would be meeting with all of them the next day anyway so I could always just ask them if I had any questions.

I stretched my back and pushed myself up from the plush bed. Being a 'special guest' meant that I was able to get a decent room here and from the looks of it, it was difficult to get resources so far out from the main city. The walls were bare and the floor remained as dirt, with a single rug at the foot of the bed which held my shoes. Candles and moonlight served as the only sources of light during the nights but I had been warned to cover the windows late in the evenings in case of storms which had been known to sweep away entire buildings in this area.

Bringing myself back to the present, I got up and changed out of the spare clothes they had given me, and back into my formal attire. I reached backwards and attempted to tie the bow attached to my corset. Failing to do so, (quite miserably, might I add) I decided to just knot the ends instead and leave the trail sweeping the ground. The heavy neck piece was also added and I moved to sit in front of the vanity mirror.

Asami had explained and explained and explained how I should do my makeup but I was still no good at it myself. I hadn't had much of a chance to practice back on the island so this was a first time thing for me.

First, I went through the disgusting act of putting in contact lenses. The little case that I had in my purse was easy enough to get into, but putting the little plastic rings in my eyes was a pain! After tears had been spilled and eyes had been poked I managed to get the orange circles in place and suddenly turned into a different person. Next, came the face part.

Luckily, I had been given an array of different colours and brushes to use from my hosts since the black purse wouldn't have been able to hold quite as much stuff as needed. From what I could see, there wasn't the entire set of things that I would need here, but it would have to do.

After prodding at my skin with pale powders and carefully applying the dark colours to my eyes, I was complete. It wasn't as good at yesterday but I was pretty proud with the outcome considering that I still looked human and my cheeks weren't bright red. I quickly used the brush to tame my waves and stood to leave. A note was pinned to the door.

_It was a pleasure showing you around yesterday and I would just like to add that I would be more than happy to answer any questions you may have remaining.  
I would also like to inform you that breakfast will be served until noon in the dining hall located opposite the Kitchens- we serve delicious pancakes!_

_-Louis._

I had learnt that Louis was the 'Father,' the man that I had spoken to during the church meeting and the youngest of the temple's vicars.

Once I felt presentable I left the room and ventured down several pathways to reach the dining hall mentioned in the note to get a good meal. As I got nearer I could hear the gossip resonating from behind the doors.

"-I heard that she wears a dress of fire."

"No it's made of blood, you moron!"

"I heard she's royalty too, with eyes the colour of gold."

"Someone told me he saw her glowing!"

"Really? I wonder if she's as beautiful as the prophecy says."

Gushes and rumours were spreading throughout the hall and I hadn't even had the chance to talk to anyone else yet. It was kind of nice that all of the things being said were positive, but I wasn't here to fulfil some legend that they had made up. No. I had much bigger things in mind and snooping around was going to be a huge part in what I had to play.

I took a deep breath and focused on the cute and shy woman that was _somewhere_ inside of me and pretended to open the door with great effort.

The chatter had ceased and all eyes were drawn to me. I looked down to the ground coyly and ran a hand through my loose hair.

"Is it really her?" One woman whispered to her friend.

"I think so," she replied, not taking her eyes off of me.

"H-Hello," I stuttered, finally looking up at them all. When I realised that no one was brave enough to answer I picked my dress up off of the floor and swiftly glided over to an empty table and sat.

A plump lady in an apron waddled over and gave a small curtsy. "What can I get you…uhh.. milady."

I shook my head, everyone still listening and watching. "Please, call me Evelyn," I could already hear the muttering and whispering going on around me, "and I heard that you make good pancakes here." The lady's face lit up as she scribbled down on a notepad and swayed back to the kitchens.

I was only left alone for a few moments as I awaited my food before three men scuttled over.

"Excuse me, miss," the man in front said, clearly nervous about talking to me, "I was wondering if…if..we might-"

"-of course you can," I interrupted, already knowing that he just wanted to sit here with his friends since the rest of the room was filling up.

I could see from the people entering and eating their meals that this facility was some sort of holy organisation rather than a rebel group. The people here were too kind and generous to start unnecessary feud with the Army and even if they did, they would be fighting on sacred ground since this place was blessed by the church.

The attention that I gained from my arrival had died down and groups of friends began chattering away with one another, almost forgetting that I was there.

"Dare to tell me why you thought you could sit here?" Someone scowled from behind me. I didn't recognise the voice but from the expressions on the boys sitting by me, he was to be feared. All of them scurried away like scared prey as a spindly soldier sat by my side. He didn't seem too scary physically, but the sharpness of his green eyes and the angular features that framed them told me a different story. He had greasy brown hair that was slicked back which only added to the disgust and evil being radiated from his body. He reeked of distrust.

"Sorry about those _rats_," he spat and leaned closer, "a beauty like you shouldn't be wasted around filth like that." I stayed quiet.

As if on cue, the dinner lady arrived with my breakfast. Piles of small golden pancakes covered my plate and dripped with thick maple syrup: every single one was mine! I picked up my knife and fork and tried my best to act 'proper' as Asami would put it. Just as I was about to dig in, my plate was smacked rudely off of the table.

"What makes you think that serving puny meals like that is acceptable?" He yelled at the poor woman. I cowered slightly to show that he was taking it too far but he was oblivious to my actions. "She is the **chosen one!** Treat her with some respect!" He was stood up now and fully screaming at the lady who had grabbed the attention of everyone else in the room.

"It is quite alright," I said, forcing my hand to rest on the man's shoulder. He turned back to me and held my hand in both of his.

"Nonsense, you deserve only the best, Evelyn." He kissed my knuckles, "I'm Lucifer."

In my head I was raging. This rude, sick creature had just knocked down a kind woman without even a second thought. Still, after being coaxed to stop, he continued to act as though he had done the right thing. Now, as though nothing had occurred, he was _touching me_. I wanted to hit him upside his head and knee him in the stomach for being so forward. No one, other than Iroh, had gotten this close to me and I didn't like it one bit.

Once he finally removed his lips from my hand and let go, I looked away in embarrassment and discretely wiped my hand on the back of my dress.

"Excuse me," I bowed, turning and quickly headed out of the room. Just as I made it out of the door, my stomach grumbled.

_So much for a good meal._

**_'Maybe you should wander the gardens. Perhaps they have fruit trees.'_**

_Good Idea._

I turned left from the dining hall and went towards the back of the temple where the kitchens would regularly gather their ingredients. During my tour with Louis I had learnt many things about this place and how the natural resources are used whenever possible. Since this part of the world was so dry and empty they found it difficult to get items sent here. Because of this they would grow their own crops and materials using rain water. It was also known that areas and towns such as the temple were usually built around an oasis so that they had a good supply of water.

I decided to investigate and see the gardens for myself.

An archway was in place of a doorway in a secluded part of the temple and was decorated in an array of colourful flowers and herbs that wound and twisted around the walkway. As I stepped through I smelt the wondrous concoction of herbs and spices being grown in hanging baskets and garden patches. Rows of bushes zigzagged around the area in a maze like pattern with all sorts of berries being sprouted from their leaves. It was gorgeous!

From what I could see, there wasn't anyone else here so I thought that this would be the ideal place to gather myself, have a snack and relax for a moment or two.

Nearing the far end of the garden stood multiple trees with lemons, oranges, pears and apples on them. Since they were probably crab/cooking apples and I wasn't too keen on lemons, I picked a couple of oranges and pears from the foliage and dug in.

"They're nice this time of year," a voice rung out from among the shrubbery, "Though this season it's time for the raspberries to be picked."

Louis walked out with a handful of raspberries and smiled, "I thought you would be in the dining hall."

I nodded and ate a segment of my orange. "I just seemed to be drawn to the garden."

"Indeed, it is also the perfect place to think if you ever need a break."

I shook my head in silent agreement and noted how calm the vicar seemed. No matter how hard I thought about it, I couldn't imagine these people being aggressive.

"Well I must leave you," he sighed, "the morning ceremony starts soon so I should be on my way. You are free to visit if you'd like."

"I think I'll try and learn more about this 'chosen one' thing. Excuse me for saying, but I'm finding it all a bit difficult to take in."

"Ah, I actually have a book for you that should explain the tale behind the prophecy. Hui and I had a feeling that you would want to find out more," he gave me the book and waved as he left with a smile on his face.

Once the man was gone I finished my meal and began to return to my room with eager curiosity. I may have been sent here on a different mission, but the whole 'chosen one' situation was actually just making this whole thing easier for me to accomplish. Having this special status gave me access to places that other people wouldn't be and I even had the ability to talk to the more important people that ran the temple.

I turned the book in my hands and ran my hands over the leather cover. There was nothing I could lose from reading up about this legend.

Without even realising what had happened, I was on the ground with the disgusting man from earlier leering over me.

"Well, well, destiny has an odd way of bringing us together," Lucifer smirked from above. We must've knocked into each other whilst I was deep in my thoughts. I tried my hardest not to head butt the man and stayed quiet.

"My, I am terribly sorry," I said with widened eyes. The more I looked into his soulless gaze, the more I wanted to smack him. I looked away.

"A maiden as fine as you shouldn't be so easily pinned beneath a man," he stayed where he was and grinned mischievously, "God knows what could happen," he whispered, leaning closer.

_Yeah, if he doesn't get the fuck off of me then I'll rip his head clean off!_

I squirmed beneath him to wriggle out of his grasp but he only leaned more weight onto me. "You're one of the first noblewoman to visit us here," he hushed in my ear and stoked the side of my cheek. "You deserve complete attention."

"I really need to go," I begged him, still attempting to get up without revealing that I was actually planning on breaking every bone in his body.

"Of course," he sighed, "the chosen one has many tasks to complete, I understand." He lifted his frame off of me and I stood without looking back to him. "But remember, my lady," he pushed me back and pinned me to the wall. I gasped and tilted my head away from him. "If you need anything, _anything_ at all, you can come to me." With that, Lucifer let go of me and stalked away.

I cursed this disguise as I finally reached my room. This stupid cute act was driving me insane! I had only been doing this for a day and a half and I already hated every second of it. There were times that I had wanted to lose the act and ask hundreds of questions. I would have much preferred to interrogate the people here rather than lure them into a false sense of security but that was my job.

I had to make everybody here trust me with all of their hearts. It would be tricky, and I didn't like lying to them, especially since they were such nice people. The new me would have to stay and, as much as I despised the idea, I would need to seem weak and vulnerable. No matter what: I would hate it. I couldn't defend myself. I couldn't speak up. I had to put up with _Lucifer_ without giving a fight and I sure as hell wasn't going to surrender to that _asshole_.

It was all to be expected though, wasn't it?

A man named Lucifer- what a befitting name; a demon, the king of hell. I had only known the brat for a day and he was already making me compare him to the deepest depths of the afterlife. The emotional pain that I had felt in the dining room was still scarred in my mind and the feeling of his lips was burned onto my knuckles. Oh how I wanted to beat that man senseless. The foul smell of his breath was enough to make me throw up but I wouldn't act so weak.

No.

I may have to seem sweet and innocent on the outside, but I was fired up and ready to strike on the inside. No one here knew the real me and it meant that even if I managed to make friends, they wouldn't be real. They would only know the false Evelyn- the heiress. I guess it's what will separate them from Korra and my true friends.

Oh how I couldn't wait to see them again tomorrow. The three days would be up and I could finally relax and become Evelyn instead of Miss Lawliet. It would take time, but I would succeed in my task.

First things first, I had a book to read.

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Urrggg….first week of school is finally over and I'm gradually starting my A Levels which sadly means that my writing time has been cut short to fit in all the extra homework..great.

But I shall not fail you! I am determined to continue updating each and every week until we reach the end! I can't give up: things are just getting interestinggg!

I hope you liked it and I would love to know what you think! What do you think of Lucifer? Louis? I love being able to reply to you guys so if you have a question or request- just PM or comment below!

**Favourite** if you like it so far/ **Follow** if you can't wait for more!


	24. Chapter 24

I'm back with another chapter!

Guest- I'm glad you like the character idea! I already have your character placed in a chapter and it's going to be uploaded in 2 weeks! It might sound like a while but I promise that it's worth it! ',:)

Enjoy :c)

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Breakfast and lunch were delicious! I had managed to have my pancakes uninterrupted this time and I had become quite well acquainted with the maid that had given me my meals, not only that, the other members of this organisation were also really nice people. I had met a group of girls that came to sit with me during my lunch and ask about where I was from and how many dresses, shoes, hats or robes that I owned. In all, everyone seemed like they genuinely enjoyed my company.

After my morning meals, I decided that I should check out the church ceremony to see just how religious these people were. Considering that the temple itself was built on holy ground and that there were numerous vicars and priests located in the premises, it was likely that most of the occupants believed in a particular god or deity.

I joined the trail of people lining up to enter the hall and moved forward to get in. Once I reached the rows of seats, I picked a far back pew so that little attention would be drawn to me. Everyone else filed in and many took their place by the front which had blue books on the seat rather than the ordinary black like everyone else.

**_'Those people are more than likely the ones of higher ranking. The managers, supervisors and fellow church staff would be seated there,'_**Aang said, the voice being one of the only forms of pleasant company I had here. He was right though, I could tell that the people filling into those pews were much more regal in the way they acted which proved they possessed a higher status than the others.

"My beloved citizens," Louis began as he drew a breath and settled everyone down. "Each and every day we are blessed by the heavens for our food, water and shelter, but recently a miracle has been bestowed upon our church!" I wriggled in fake discomfort at his words but honestly I wasn't really fazed by the mention of my 'miracle' arrival.

"The chosen one is among us! She has even graced with her presence this morning," he said louder as he locked eyes on me and raised his hands, causing everyone to turn and follow his line of sight.

I would have much preferred to slouch down and not waste my energy on the unneeded facial expressions and feign shyness, but sadly I had no other choice but to resume my acting. Shrugging my shoulders and wrapping my arms around me, I watch as the vicar nodded for me to stand up. Gingerly, I did so and offered a weak yet sincere smile to all of those that were focusing their attention on me with shocked and awed expressions. I sat back down.

"Our prayers have been answered so today I have chosen to relay the story of our temple's origins," he continued with a kind smile. "I am sure that this is a subject Miss Lawliet would be interested to learn about." And so he began the tale of the temple.

It was recorded that long ago, while the battle for Ba Sing Se was still a fresh memory, there was an eruption of evil found deep beneath the grounds of the Firenation Colonies. The corrupted souls of warped, fallen soldiers had absorbed into the soil of the land and gathered to create the ultimate weapon for revenge against their destroyers. According to the ancient scrolls found within the Northern Water Tribe, spirits controlled the levels of good and evil found inside the mortal realm- also known as the Yin and Yang effect. Because of this, the spirits recognised the imbalance found within the lands and sought to fix the impurity that resonated there. To do this, they sent a guardian to protect the area that the evil had infested.

A majestic creature with powerful jaws and the wisdom of fifty thousand years was sent to the lands to battle the darkness and restore balance to the morality of the world. To continue this equilibrium of good and bad, the beast sacrificed a part of its spiritual energy to take a permanent, solid form: the people called it a 'spirit totem' which is rumoured to be hidden somewhere secluded nearby the temple grounds. There have been many to claim to have seen its beauty but many less to have actually witnessed it. Legend stated that the temple and church were built within the parameters of the sacred item and ever since its completion the building had been blessed and protected from evil beings.

During the story telling I could see the younger members of the audience gain intrigue and wonderment shone in their wide little eyes. From the undivided attention that everyone was giving Louis, I knew that there was much more of this story to be told. I continued to listen intently.

We were told of the whisperings heard late during the nights and the wisps of white dust that would shine beneath the moon light before vanishing into thin air. A woman of high status was staying in the temple during its early development and was intrigued by the hushed voice that called to her within the darkness. She was the only one keen to listen.

The luring sounds told her stories of a traveller that wished only to help the people that took shelter in the temple. This same stranger would provide a future to the lives here and the inhabitants should welcome them with great pride. A prophecy was foretold to the woman that this traveller was no ordinary human; they were blessed by the gods and gifted with unforeseeable powers.

To relay the message given to her, the noble painted for weeks. The images were made large, detailed and displayed the future of the temple. Within her drawings were clear instructions on how to detect the saviour's aura and learn who can and cannot be trusted. All throughout her life, all of her means were made to protect the building and prevent dangers from destroying the holy land. She directed her efforts into passing on the task of finding the chosen one, of finding _me._

No matter how hard I tried to think about the situation logically I still ended up with the same outcome- this was what they were hiding. It all made sense! The people here had no intention of harming others or starting a war! All they wanted to do was to protect the totem that blessed these lands. I could have attempted to make another assumption but being part spirit meant that I knew fully well that the legend was probably true.

Since these people lived far enough away from a spirit portal it meant that they wouldn't have seen someone or something from my home land before. This would also mean that my arrival and aura would have shifted the views of people living here since I would be the first foreign visitor. To them I was nothing more than a mystery and someone to fulfil an old bedtime story.

The totem was the key. Whatever they were hiding it was spiritual and they worship it enough to protect it with all they have. If it was taken away by the army then their whole religion would be destroyed and the darkness that once consumed the land would arise once again.

Although it wasn't part of the plan I decided that these people could use all the help they could get. I wouldn't be able to give them all of the assistance that they want or plan out their future like they expect me to but I could find a way to make sure that the totem was kept here. The only problem was that I would need to get in close to find out just what I would be dealing with. There would be plenty of ways to convince the military to keep the site where it is if there is no threat, but again, I would need to see what I would be dealing with.

I stood and left the church along with everyone else once the session was complete and made my way to the library to return the book Louis had given me yesterday. It sounded like a good place to go up ad think of a plan for meeting up with Korra and Iroh tonight.

I still had the tracker and all of the items I had been given by the team in my little bag which was kept locked in a drawer in my room. Each of which I thought to be very useful in my mission so far and I would even need to use the GPS tracker tonight to meet up with my friends.

I picked up my dress and glided towards the library that was located upstairs along with the Clock Tower mechanic's office. Once I made it up there, I gave the man working the desk a smile and handed him the book I wanted to return.

I looked around for a bit and searched through some of the many shelves and cases of books that ranged from biographies to murder cases. I was keen to find something related to the legend mentioned earlier today, specifically, the totem and mysterious creature or beast. Even after looking for a great deal of time I couldn't find what I wanted in the nonfiction section so I wandered down further back to have a look at the fiction books. I had a feeling that the legend I had been told could have been turned into a new story much like many of the myths and tales that I had read about back home. There was a chance that maybe the pages would contain some sort of message or hidden clue and, if so, then I could read between the lines and use it to my advantage.

I rounded the corner and found a whole row of picture books that showed the different stories trapped inside the pages. After flicking through and discovering a book with tapestries photographed on the front cover and I took the old book off of the shelf and sat down on the red carpeted floor.

_'Blessed and Broken'_

There were pages filled with text retelling the same thing that I had heard in the church this morning but this one also had the illustrator's impression of the story in drawings.

To him or her, the 'beast brought from the heavens' was a large tiger that glowed white like the dust it used to attract the noblewoman's attention. As much as I liked the interpretation, I knew that the tiger spirit wouldn't have been wise or strong enough to pass on a message; their kind revelled in brute force and the physical protection of humans during battle: I wouldn't have been surprised if a past Avatar had once had this animal as a companion during their time alive.

I had inkling to believe that the creature in the legend would be something with prowess and loyalty but it would also need to have the 'wisdom of fifty thousand years.' This meant that only ancient spirits could have been the ones chosen to protect the land and there weren't many of them left still. Knowing this, my search for the beast was narrowed down considerably.

Footsteps could be heard approaching from behind but I made little effort to seem surprised. My new persona wouldn't have been expected to hear the sounds if she was so engrossed in a book so I just ignored them even as they drew closer.

"Such a loyal, kind woman," I jumped out in 'shock' at his words and dropped the book into my lap. I couldn't see him since he was behind me and instead I heard the rustling of his trousers as he crouched down to my level. "Does reading not make you bored?" He purred.

"N-No," I shook my head and turned to face him but still not being able to stand up. "I enjoy the stories."

"Well," he leaned down, pinned my back to the bookshelf and moved his head to the side of mine as he hushed into my ear. "I have a story that I think you might like."

I hated him so much. Each time I saw him or heard his name I felt a large chunk of my restraint being eradicated and the urge to punch him in the jaw just became stronger. But sadly this little Evelyn wouldn't be able to do that, _yet_.

"Once upon a time," with one hand he held the two of mine, "there was a gorgeous maiden," his other hand snaked up my forearm, "and she met a man who could give her **anything** she wanted." He moved up to my shoulders and I turned my head away from his close face. "All she had to do was surrender a kiss." Finally he snatched my cheeks and pulled me to face him. I wriggled to get away and tried to get to my feet but he had my whole body pinned down and held me in place. I would have head butted him for being so vulgar but I couldn't even do that since his hand held my face so well.

I watched in horror as he leaned forward, licked his lips and smashed them against my own, tightening his hold on me. No matter what I tried I couldn't get away without ruining my disguise so I internally vowed to destroy this man in the worst way possible whenever I would get the chance.

Once he pulled away and released me, I stood and hurried away to get away as soon as possible. I could still feel the painful pressure on my mouth and the tender skin would more than likely bruise. I violently rubbed the feeling away and reminded myself to heal them once I got back to my room.

If I had to describe my opinion of that man...it would raise the rating of this story. His despicable actions and disgusting behaviour made me want to do unmentionable things which would leave him bloody, bruised and begging for death. But there was an issue: Iroh couldn't find out about this. If he did then the entire building would be destroyed. I had seen little of his true anger and he had a restraint that I envied, but there was a point that no one should cross and I was afraid that by telling him- it would make him go over the edge.

To continue my analysis that was so rudely interrupted, I chose to scan the book out and take it back with me to find out anything more. Before I could do that though, I was going to meet up with my friends.

"Oh, I understand, you're still a busy woman and I can't stop you from continuing your private affairs." I had told Louis that I had a meeting with a military officer in a nearby village to discuss my business. It was a god alibi for my leave as it wouldn't attract any unwanted attention and keep suspicion away. Everything was with me that I needed and I had already pressed the button on my tracker to let them know where I was staying. From there, they would be able to figure out the closest village and meet me there.

I had taken note of the map pinned up in the library before I had left and looked at all of the inhabited areas located nearby. From what I could see there was a small town about fifteen miles away and it would be the perfect place to regroup. All that was left to do was get there in one piece.

"I won't be long, I hope this doesn't cause any problems," I said to him to seem worried about the temple. Truthfully, I was concerned about the people, especially when there were people like _Lucifer_ that roamed the halls. I couldn't stand to spend another second longer than necessary in the same place as him and I just needed a break for a while.

"Not at all," Hui smiled from the vicar's side, "would you like a chauffeur?"

I shook my head to the old man and gave a matching smile. "No, thank you, I have a way to get there." This situation would be able to give me the chance to show off my 'unforeseeable powers.'

I watched as both of the men raised an eyebrow in confusion at my choice of words.

Stepping back away from the entrance and moving outside, I turned for a moment to face my company who followed me out before walking back out again. My plan was to vanish like a deity could to seem like the true 'chosen one' that they thought I was.

Earthbending the sand and dirt at my feet discretely, I made the small particles swirl around me faster and faster the further out I walked and the tornado of earth swallowed my body entirely. Then, to complete my vanishing act, I opened the ground beneath my feet and fell into it, letting the dirt twister die down. To them, I was gone.

I bent a tunnel that led straight to the village I was going to and poked a couple of air holes along the way to prevent suffocation. I would have just airbended to keep me breathing but by doing so I would have passed my two element limit. I didn't really plan on turning into an enraged spirit anytime soon- especially whilst I was underground.

Once the bending was over and the trail was completed, I moved the ground beneath my feet to slide my body along at great speeds without ruining my dress. It was only twenty minutes and I was at my destination.

I had stopped a few minutes away from the entrance so that I wouldn't need to put up such a show of appearing and I could just step out of the ground instead. As I was walking through the front posts, I was met with neighbours smiling and waving in greeting as I made my way past them to a nearby café.

Sitting in two of the outdoor seats were none other than Korra and Iroh who seemed to be in the middle of an argument. I walked over with my head held high and extended a hand to the Avatar.

"Ma'am, it is a pleasure to finally meet you," I said as I shook her hand and winked. She seemed to see where I was going with this and followed along. I held out my hand for Iroh as well. "You too, Sir, this meeting is long overdue." He nodded in agreement and tried to suppress a grin.

They followed me inside where we took a secluded booth in the corner.

"Sorry about that," I said, gesturing my head to where we had just been. "It was just a precaution."

There was always the chance that someone from the temple would have seen me walking towards my friends and I didn't want them telling anyone about our informal meeting so I chose to play it safe instead and act as though the meeting was real.

"I told you that she can handle herself," Korra smirked to Iroh. From his scowling expression I could see that their squabble had been something about my safety.

"I know that she can take care of herself," he instantly replied which grabbed my attention, "I'm just worried about her," he continued in a whisper.

"Look, I am fine. I've been in there for almost three days and nothing much has happened to me!" I scolded the two of them. "I need you two to get along while I'm away, alright?" They nodded dejectedly.

"Wait- what do you mean, '_much'?_" Iroh asked, already fretting over my safety.

I gave him a peck on the cheek and held his hand under the table. "The people think I'm the 'Chosen One,'" I told them as I continued to relay the story of the legend to them. At first they were shocked and confused as to what happened so I just told them the entire journey that I had been on since I arrived.

They both stayed quiet even as I finished my tale and I relaxed into my chair as I awaited their response.

"So even _they_ don't know where this 'totem' is?" Korra asked with curiosity etched onto her features. "How can they protect what they can't see?"

"I don't know," I replied truthfully, "but their whole religion is based around it and I've tried to read and find out everything I can."

"And you think they wouldn't be capable to starting a war?" Iroh began, wanting to find out the military part of all this. I shook my head. "So how would you explain the attacks on us? We haven't even attempted at taking over the lands yet."

He had a point, a very valid point too. It didn't make sense that the people worshipping in the church and spending their time reading and chatting with each other would pose a threat on the navy or army. Something about that didn't add up and it would give me something to research and ask about when I got back.

"I have a feeling that the people in there are being used as a cover. There must be others hidden deeper within that are forming all of these attacks."

"That seems more likely. We need you to learn whatever you can. Use seismic sense to try and locate the totem as well. We both know that Lin showed you a couple of her tricks," Korra winked. I laughed and agreed with her plan since it was the most logical one to go by.

We spent a while chatting and laughing about all of the things that I would be missing now that I was gone from Air Temple Island. I told them all about my impressions of the makeup I had been given and by the end of our conversation we were in fits of giggles.

"I should get back soon. They'll probably get suspicious if I'm gone for longer than two or three hours." I huffed. I didn't want to go back since I wasn't able to have fun like this in a church full of strangers.

All three of us stood to leave but I was pulled back by Iroh just before we reached the door. As I was spun around my lips landed on his as he cupped my face to deepen it. At his touch I visible flinched and I cursed myself for doing so.

"Are you hurt?" He asked as he tilted my head to inspect it for wounds.

"I'm fine, hones-"

"You're bruised," he stated as he pressed his finger onto the tender spot on my jaw line where Lucifer had grabbed me. I winced slightly again at the sudden ache and pulled out of his grasp.

"I'll live, it's nothing!"

"How did this happen?" He growled at me with an intense gaze.

"I just crossed paths with the wrong person, that's all."

"_Person?_ Why didn't you stop them?" He scolded me as he placed his large hands on my shoulders which caused me to wince again. "What did they do to you?" He said, much louder this time as he released his grip and rubbed gently at the sore area.

Could I tell him? I would have to admit and there wasn't really any other explanation that I could use here. I planned a way to get my message across, but I would have to be increasingly careful with my choice of words.

"He just...kissed me." I said, feeling stupid for saying it like that. "But you and I both know I could have knocked him senseless if it wasn't for this act!" I added quickly in an attempt to stop him from burning the temple down.

"But the marks-"

"Leave it," I ordered him sternly.

"Leave it_? _I can't just _leave it _Evelyn! He hurt you! Where is he?" He yelled now. I could see the anger radiating off of him and if I wasn't careful then he would probably do something reckless.

"I can just heal it when I get back." He seemed to calm down a bit once he remembered that I could do that and paused his debating.

"So he took a kiss," he sighed and pulled me closer. "I guess I'll just have to return mine then," he gave a sad smile as he lifted me to meet his mouth.

"Thank you," I whispered, "but yours was a gift." I pecked his lips once more and stepped back. "I really should go before they wonder what's happening."

"Fine, but be careful." We separated and left the café. Korra was already waiting outside with a bored expression and a tapping foot as I walked and offered my hand once more.

"It was nice meeting with you, I am sorry about the delay but you are welcome to call and speak with a member of reception. Like I said before, I will make sure they get you everything that you need."

I gave another formal goodbye to Iroh to keep up impressions as they moved toward the train station to return to Republic City and I walked out into the dirt planes to get back to the temple.

It looked like I had a new mission to accomplish and this time it might actually be a challenge.

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Ooooo Iroh's worried! I thought I should add a bit of cuteness to this chapter since it's been a while but I really want to get this story plot moving!

I am quite sad this week :( I only had one review (thank you Guest!) and I absolutely **_LOVE _**reading what you comment!

So **REVIEW!**** -**_pretty please_ \\( ~ o ~ )/


	25. Chapter 25

Another week, another chapter! As you may have noticed I have grown into the routine of uploading on a Friday evening (England time :D) and I plan to continue since it gives me the weekend to write another glorious chapter!

\- Thank you! I'm glad you think they're cute! (I do too!)

**And a shoutout to ****Isanxd**** and ****Demona Evernight**** for following and reviewing last chapter!**

Demona Evernight- I love that you like my story! I also want more Evelyn/Iroh moments too! And welcome to Not Your Average Avatar!

Isanxd- THIS IS BY FAR THE MOST ENTHUSIASTIC REVIEW I HAVE HAD AND I LOVE IT! I PLAN TO CREATE MORE FEELS IN LATER CHAPTERS!

Enjoy :c)

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For the next couple of days I investigated all that I could about the organisation hiding within the church but came up short for information. Even during my second meeting with Korra and Iroh they hadn't come up with any new ideas so I just had to stick with what I was already doing.

I finally came up with a new approach.

"What do you mean you 'need blueprints'? I can't help you with that, I'm sorry."

"Oh, it's no bother, it was just that I was planning on securing some of the building," I squeaked as I stood by the church's altar with Louis and Hui. "I only wanted to find a way to repay your generosity and keep the people living here, safer." I avoided their eye contact as I gathered myself and went to leave the room.

"Wait!" Hui croaked since shouting wasn't really possible for him in his tired state. "Try talking to the mechanics upstairs, they may have what you seek." I bowed as I thanked him and left, hiding the smirk that twitched at the corner of my lips.

I was feeling quite pleased with myself and the outcome that I had achieved. It was definitely mean of me to completely fool them like that and convince them of my good intentions; in all honestly I wanted the blueprints to see if there were any places that I hadn't already checked out. I had no intention of rebuilding any part of the temple and, even if I did, I wouldn't have the tools or experience to actually do so. The more that I was lying to these people and making up stories, the easier I had been finding it. I no longer felt the pang of guilt when I made up a scenario to get my way or faked an emotion- I guess I was just becoming a little more human.

The few days that I had been cooped up here were little more than boring and the only reason I was here was because it was nothing more than my temporary job. My mission was to expose the hidden rebels and find out why they were attacking the army whenever they even got close to this piece of land. As much as I wanted to, I would have wait until my main priority was over before I could keep my promise to these people and let them have control over the land. I knew that they wanted to keep the spiritual item with them for the sake of their religion and protection, but even so, I would have to deal with the true threat at hand. Either way, I had an idea to complete and it was linked to the legendary totem.

I clicked my new heels on my way out and followed up the winding steps that lead straight past the library which still made me shiver at the memory of my last visit there. I had rarely seen Lucifer since our encounter and when I had he had only winked and smirked at me before leading away with his followers in tow. I was tremendously glad that he hadn't made an effort to come near me since my restraint was already weakening and there was no telling just what would happen to the little shit if he ever laid a finger on me again.

That wasn't even the main cause for my concern: I didn't want to have to tell Iroh about anymore incidents with him- one way or the other. If I wasn't careful then I could end up watching the Prince scorch the brat alive. As much as I would want to do that myself, I couldn't give up my hard work just yet.

Anyway, it was a rare occasion for anyone to travel this far up into the temple and step into the clock tower. The majority of people that lived here stopped at the library at then went back down. The housing quarters were all on the ground floor to limit storm damage so there were even some that had never even been up here at all.

To most, the cramped spaces and loud, echoing noises were too much to handle and enough to drive them away. For a passionate engineer, however, a place like this would be paradise. Climbing up the walls and hanging across the ceiling were long and thin metal pipes that rotated in a continuous loop and connected to thousands of different sized cogs.

The centre of the room was where all of the work was done and large, small, intricate and simple wheels turned at varied speeds in a maze of copper and steel. There was a single, larger pole protruding from the cube of cogs that travelled to the other side of the room and touched down in the middle of the translucent clock fitted into the wall high above. The actual dial might not have been as grand or impressive as ones I had seen in books or paintings, but it was certainly magnificent in the way that the light drifted through to give a hazy glow over the workplace.

"Can eh help you wi' anyhin'?" A scruffy man asked with a deep, rough accent as he stood from his crouched position behind some of the metalwork. He held a spanner in one hand and was cleaning the grease from it using an old rag as he spoke. I jolted back in genuine surprise at his sudden appearance.

"I was told that you were the person to come to for blueprints," I said whilst holding my dress up to avoid getting it covered in dust and spilt oil.

"Aye, whot of it?"

I walked over to where he was stood and looked him in the eye. "I was wondering if I could have a copy."

He crouched back down since there was no more need to stand and look at me as he started to tighten some loose bolts. "You must be the lass 'at the ol' man was chuntering on about," he coughed into his sleeve and wiped at his beard. "Sure you can 'ave the prints if ya want but ye gonna 'ave ta find 'em first."

I took another look around at the piles of scattered pages, tracing paper, discarded pencils, spanners, spare parts and cans of spray oil and lubricant.

"Thank you, I don't mind," I nodded.

Before I started my hunt I chose to get prepared first by bunching up the long part of my dress and knotting it together. Using the spare hair bobble I always had on my wrist, I tied it tightly together and positioned the bundle by my thigh. It might not have been very neat and the material would probably crease, but there wasn't anyone but the mechanic to see so it didn't really matter too much. After rolling up my sleeves and taking the metal brace off of my neck, I was ready to really begin.

"Are you usually the only one here?" I asked as I pulled open some drawers. Curiosity had been sparked when I realised that anytime this place was mentioned it was said that multiple people were up here working.

H e hummed a general 'yes' in my direction as he worked before elaborating.

"There were two of us but the ol' sod didn't make it through one _a_ Kuvira's attacks."

I had quite a lot about his woman in my travels and nothing that what was said about her had been good. Smashed buildings, a high death count and ruined villages were all that seemed to have equated from her attempts at power and domination. I just prayed that I wouldn't ever come across another woman like that.

"No one but me really noticed when he _was-ne_ here 'nmore," the man concluded with a sigh. I bowed my head in silent understanding and chose to continue my hunt.

I started my next search by digging through the toolbox for any loose bits of paper that might have been folded up at the bottom. Once that proved useless, I thought to sift the loose pieces of clock designs and sketches in hopes of finding what I was looking for. No luck.

I continued to roam around the area and manoeuvre around various gears, switches and boxes to get to the hard to reach areas I hadn't sorted around in yet. But no matter where I was looking, there was no sign of what I wanted.

"Have you seen it recently?" I shouted over the chimes that signalled that it was four o'clock. When he never offered an answer I presumed he hadn't heard me and repeated myself once the gongs had ceased their noise.

"Seen whot?" He said without looking up from the open pocket watch he now held to check that it was still functional.

"Blueprints!" I snapped, forgetting all about my act for a minute. In the end, it wasn't as though he was going to say much to anyone about it. I knew for definite that no one visited him often once he told me about the former mechanic that used to work alongside him so my true self would be safe here with him. I let myself have the short moment.

"Ah, they're in me back pocket," he mumbled through the pair of tweezers he had propped in his mouth. Using his free hand, he slid a small roll of paper out of his cargo pants and held them over his shoulder.

"This whole time!" I yelled as I snatched it from between his two fingers.

"Aye," he looked up from underneath the small glasses he now had resting at the end of his nose. "Ya tidied the place up well for me, hen."

At his words I looked around at where I had been and saw that everything that I had sorted through was back in its rightful place. By sorting through his tools I had organised them into the box and packed it all away without even thinking about what I had done. The same went for the neat stack of papers that was found on an empty desk and the drawers that could shut easily without interruption.

"Did ya think I'd just let ya 'ave 'em?" He chuckled and continued back down to finish fixing the small watch. "Now get lost, ya making it crowded in 'ere."

I laughed and fixed my dress back to how it was and kept a tight hold on the prints I had unknowingly worked for.

That man seemed much more intelligent than I had originally thought and it made me wonder if there were any others just like him here.

"Thank you," I smiled just before I left.

The map that I finally had a hold of was intriguing and made up of multiple levels. I already knew that the building plans would consist of the ground floor, upstairs and bird's eye view but there was an extra layer on there. According to this sheet of paper there was another floor built underground which hadn't been mentioned to me before. It seemed to be the same width as the entire building and looked as though it would be ideal as a long term room. From what I could tell, the print had the lower floor drawn in a different pen which meant that it must have been built ages _before_ the original church had been erected.

There was a strong possibility that it could be an evacuation centre or bunker that could keep everyone safe during an exceptionally wild storm. But the fact that I hadn't been told was what made me suspicious. Was there a reason for keeping it hidden?

There was also the chance that this could be the location of where the secret organisation was hiding out. That explanation would certainly tell me why it was all kept so confidential. If I had to guess, by having this area made deep beneath an inhabited building it minimized the chances of being discovered by an undercover agent, AKA me.

No one would think to look in the basement if no one knew it existed. With these plans I could easily formulate a strategy.

From what I had gathered, the door was located somewhere on the ground floor with steps that would lead down. Even after asking people about a basement or 'storage room', I still turned up no answers to what I was seeking. The plans also showed no sign of an obvious entrance and the gap that was drawn in was located somewhere down in the kitchens. Knowing this, that was where I went next.

Struggling to open the light metal doors, I wedged them open and slid through, gaining smiles and small bows from those that saw me enter. None of them said anything to me directly and just allowed me to do as I pleased and wonder around without an issue. Now that everyone was back at work, shouts for orders and ingredients were bellowed across ovens and half hearted replies were also given in return. The woosh of flames flickered over stoves and gave light to a wondrous smells of meat and spices.

Spluttering apologies and tucking around counter tops, I made my way around screaming chefs to where the door leading downstairs was allegedly built.

In its place stood a basic, wooden door. Whatever was behind would bring light to the situation I was in and explain numerous things that I wanted to know about. By opening and stepping through I would be led down into a pit of answers. The reason behind attacks was _here_. The explanation for why I was here would be given and I could finally return to live with my friends and spend more of my time with Iroh.

Bracing myself for confrontation and taking a breath to steady my heart rate, I stepped through… into a _wine cellar._

There was nothing special here and I huffed out in exasperation. After all of the looking and digging around for information I came up with a **cupboard!** I closed the door behind me and began to pace around in the dark room.

There must have been something that I had missed! There was no way that all of my efforts had been in vain and I needed to figure out what I had overlooked. After some quick thought I realised- there must be something hidden here. It was the only thing that would make sense! Once I paused my pacing I propped a broom handle underneath the doorknob to keep it shut and prevent anyone from interrupting my little investigation.

Turning the light on and coughing through the dust, I took the peace and quiet to study my surroundings.

"Where is it? Where is it?" I murmured to myself as I resumed walking around the dry room with racks full of glass bottles lining the walls. I scanned my eyes over each object I walked past in an attempt to analyse it all and yet I still came up with nothing of interest.

"Wait. What am I doing?" I chastised myself. Using one of my newer techniques, I lifted my skirt away from my right leg and stomped my foot straight down to the dusty ground. Focusing my concentration, I felt for the miniscule vibrations pulsating along the floor beneath me.

I could sense the movements of everyone outside thudding around to collect food and complete meals. As the sensation began to fade, I repeated the process and tried to limit the ability to my current room and I let it travel up the walls to discover a way through instead. After various attempts, I had found a very faint gap carved into the wall behind some very large beer kegs. It wasn't an obvious discovery and it wasn't exactly a door so I now needed to find out what I would need to open it.

I may not have been able to use my seismic sense to detect it since it was likely that the switch was made from wood, but I gave it a try anyway. Before I did so, I bent the kegs out of the way and took their place in front of the secret entrance. From there, I punched the wall where the door should be and emitted some of my own spiritual energy as I did so.

With every exhale I would expand my powers and then let it return on my inhale. With each breath I tested my boundaries to see just how hard I could push myself and then relaxed before I repeated the process. My actions were much like that of a rubber band. I would push and pull, stretching the elastic until I couldn't hold it and it snapped back.

With each set I started to increase the amount of energy I was using and after a while of building up the room's colours _shifted_.

The door by my hands was now grey and the rest of the room was also de-saturated of all colours. As I looked at my skin, I saw that it flowed with a white glow similar to what I had seen when I had touched the spirit water on my first day here. I let go of the wall and saw that there was remnants of my handprints in white.

With further inspection I saw a faint trail of dark purple footsteps that lead into the wall and the same colour was left tinted on one of the beer taps. I pulled it to see what would happen and was not surprised to watch the wall push back and slide away to reveal a long and dark passage way.

I stopped releasing my energy and felt the pigment of the room return to normal.

This new ability was incredible! And from what I could see it showed the aura that a person emitted no matter where it had been placed- on their body or on things they had touched. The dark colour trailing away must've been from whoever had last entered the basement and now they were leading me straight to them. With a quick sense of what was up ahead, I could tell that there was an open room located at the end of the corridor.

Cautiously I made my way through.

* * *

Oooo cliff-hanger! Sorry about that guys :/

Anyhoo, I will be introducing new characters next chapter! The moment some of you guys have been waiting for will arrive!

And I will also apologise for the bad scottish-like speech :/ my Dad actually has the accent and I've been trying to translate the way he says his words into text so I hope some of it makes sense…

**Review! Favourite! Follow! **(But only if you want to :P)

See you next week!


	26. Chapter 26

Nymeriam- Glad you're back to reviewing! And I also know the struggle with exams…

Demona Evernight- Haha you're right! But you have to remember that Evelyn is also a badass bender that doesn't take 'no' for an answer! Loving the reviews, hope you like the next chapter :c)

And this chapter contains reviewer's characters from Loonie and Guest! Enjoy!

* * *

Darkness had swallowed me entirely the second I stepped through the secret passageway. The door creaked and groaned as it shuddered back into place behind me, cutting the light off and leaving me to bask in the black abyss.

Cautiously, I ventured forward, using each step to feel the vibrations and create a visualisation of where I was standing. I used one hand to trail along the wall by my side to keep me steady and to make sure that I hadn't moved straight out into the open by accident.

With a couple more light steps I sensed that I had neared the end of the narrow hallway and slowed my pace considerably. The stench of dampness and mould smacked my nose as I progressed onwards and the heavy air descended into a thick haze of muskiness. Soon, I was hit by the cold that was trapped between the walls. Freezing temperatures clung to my skin and made the hairs on my arms spike up as goose bumps littered my body.

_Drip_

Ignoring the change in heat, I tiptoed to the centre of the room which I had detected to be empty and calmed all of my senses to really admire the peacefulness that filled the pitch dark space. The sounds of running water and the echo of water droplets resonated around me and I closed my eyes to revel in the break from all of the usual noise.

_Drip_

What was really down here? I had expected there to be tables and meeting rooms filled with conspirators but all I was met with was a bland, damp room. Had all of my searching been in vain? Were my efforts a waste of time? If this wasn't the place, then where was?

_Drip_

There were too many questions that were left unanswered and being here only gave me more: Was there something else hidden? What was really down here? What was this place used for?

_Drip_

Rubbing my arms to relieve my chills, I stomped my foot down again to disturb the stillness and felt for the response back. The grey layout that I received revealed clumped figures sprawled out at irregular intervals around the edge of the basement. The odd shapes seemed to be a cluster of fabric or boxes that could have contained something of importance. I settled my energy and relaxed my stance in an attempt to switch my bending techniques to avoid going into the Spirit State. I focused on fire and lit a ball of flames in my palm to relinquish the cold and allow me to see where I was going. With the waves of my flame, the shadows of misshapen figures danced on the walls and cast a sinister hue onto everything inside. Using the shadows, I counted seven of the shapes around the room and a particularly large one was located at the opposite end of the door.

_Drip_

Curious about what I had previously seen, I stepped towards the closest one on my right and softened my breathing to remain quiet as I dimmed down my fire.

One foot in front of the other, I crept nearer and nearer, keeping the flame small so the flickering wouldn't cause much noise. My line of sight was limited and I could only see the faint glow of what was around my feet from the little light I was creating.

_Drip_

I continued until I could finally see the bundle of fabric in the light that I was casting and I slowly knelt down to get a closer look.

_Drip_

"Ughh."

Startled by the loud groan, I leapt back as far as I could and caused the flame to go out. Now on the ground, I scrambled away from the rustling material until I got back into the middle of the black room. I waited as still as a statue until the sounds stopped before going back over to see if they were still asleep. I re-lit my hand and held it close to the top of the blanket.

Without a sound of warning, my wrist was grabbed and I was pinned down to the ground with a strong grip. The darkness consumed us once more and the weight being pressed onto my arms was tremendous.

"GUYS!" A female voice from above me yelled out which caused the rest of the room to start rustling and stirring from their nap. "GET THE FUCK UP!" She bellowed forcefully.

The second yell seemed to make them start moving as more and more noise was made as well as footsteps rushing towards us. I had no clue what was going on but I ceased my struggling and let out a dainty whimper at the harsh grip on my wrists.

I was still going to keep up my act no matter what since it was probably going to be the only way out of all this. If I could convince these people that I was a noblewoman who was also the 'chosen one' here then they were less likely to harm me. At least, that's what I hoped.

"What's happening?" An older man asked from within the darkness.

"I found this rat snooping about," she sneered back and added more pressure to my body.

In a few more seconds, people had fire in their palms and were lighting the various torches screwed into the wall to reveal the entire room and the situation at hand.

"_Please_," I whimpered, tugging my arms away slightly, "_please, let me go_."

Collective gasps were heard throughout the small crowd as they watched my sprawled out form lying on the dirt ground with my skirt pooling around me and my hair messily ruffled over my shoulders.

"It's a woman," one whispered whilst the girl above me scoffed.

"You _don't say,"_ she droned sarcastically. Her sharp witted reply almost made me laugh and I already knew that I quite liked her attitude- she reminded me of Korra. Focusing her attention back to me, the girl scrunched her green eyes and critically examined my face and clothing. "What are you doing here?"

I tilted my head to the side and saw all of the people around me as they drew closer to hear my answer. The majority of them were male and two, including the one above me, were women. With a closer look I could see a small hand wrapped around the other woman's leg which meant that there was also a child here.

Focusing back on the girl snarling at me, I clamped my eyes shut to prepare for the smack I expected to get from her and when nothing came, I looked up expectantly.

"What are you doing here?" She spat, saying each word separately in her attempt at belittling me.

"Nothing! I swear! Just please let go, you're hurting me!" I pleaded weakly as she started to lift some of her weight away. Once she let go I shuffled backwards until I was firmly pressed up against the wet wall. The leading lady glanced to the group surrounding us and the largest man knelt down to face me.

"Listen, we need to know how you got in here," he whispered gently.

From what I could see these two were performing to 'good cop, bad cop,' routine that I had seen in the movies with Korra so I knew that this man must wither be the one in charge or the second in control.

I pulsed my spiritual energy to read the auras of everyone around me to try and see if my theory about the ability was correct- and it was. The man beside me was glowing a strong blue and the woman from before was the same shade of purple that I had followed to get in here.

"I was talking to the kitchen staff and s-saw the door in the wine cellar," I shook in 'fright' as I subtly lied. It wasn't as though I was being completely dishonest because most of that story was true- well- except the bit about _seeing_ the door.

"You just saw it?" The woman scoffed again. She obviously found my explanation farfetched and chose not to believe it.

Propping myself up against the wall to sit up better, I only nodded since I didn't want to ruin my chances with these people by mentioning something I shouldn't. The rest of the room was quiet for a moment as they tried to think of something else to ask the random person that just walked in during their nap.

"Hold on, how come you were allowed into the kitchens?" A different person asked from within the group as he stepped out to the front. Pointing a dirty finger at me, he got nearer until he was also standing next to the kneeling man. "You don't look like a chef."

I paused and looked at each face with a confused expression before answering. "I was told that I could go anywhere."

They all shared a bewildered glance toward one another as the woman who had once pinned me down moved her face right up close to mine and spoke up.

"Who are you, exactly?"

"E-Evelyn," I said shakily with my hands held up to my face to show that I was filled with dread and fear. Was I really? Nah. I was acting pathetic and would have been completely disgraced if Iroh here to see me now. I was covered in filth and grim surrounded by people dressed in rags and torn bandanas. I felt sorry for all of them and could tell by their appearance that they were definitely not the people I had expected to confront. Each and everyone looked tired and hungry yet it was only around five o'clock so whatever it was that they did down here must have been hard labour for them to be sleeping so early.

If she had to ask me who I was then that also meant that the people down here had been excluded from everybody else. Above ground, I was a well known addition to the temple and Louis and Hui had already seen a glimpse of my 'powers' when I first left to meet with Korra and Iroh. It didn't make sense that if these people were the ones attacking the army then they should have know who I was- but they didn't have a clue.

"I have been staying here since last week," I said with a hint of 'hello? Have you not heard yet?'

"Really?" The same girl replied, "And they just let you do as you please?"

"Well, they said I'm the c-chosen one."

The sound of quick pattering steps made me turn my head to see a little boy holding his mother's hand and eagerly pulling her towards me.

"The one from the legends?" He gushed in awe as he looked up to his smiling parent for conformation. "Is it really you?"

I nodded and smiled at his innocence and playful actions. He grinned and hopped on the spot excitedly.

"That means you're a part of the temple then, Evelyn," the older man stated rather than asked as he stroked his bushy beard.

"Yes, I just saw the door and presumed this was another part of the building so I came to have a look."

They seemed happy with my answer and the grim features on some of their faces faded into neutral expressions. To them I was no longer a threat.

Thinking it was time to regain some of my authority; I crossed my legs beneath me and fixed my posture.

"Who are you all?" I asked them directly, wanting to get straight to the point. "You didn't know me so I presume you haven't been up to the temple."

Before they answered me, the younger man offered his hand and gestured to the table on the far side of the room. Following him over, I took a seat and so did everyone else whilst the little boy sat on his mother's lap since I had taken the extra chair.

"We are what keep everyone up there alive," the mother said as she pointed up to the ceiling where large pipes were hung. "Each of us has a job to do."

I nodded and rested my head in my palm as I looked at each person individually and thought that it was time I stopped using 'the mother,' 'the boy,' 'the man,' and so forth for each one.

"What should I call each of you?"

The girl that had first seen me had stayed quiet the whole time we had been at the table and the old man spoke up instead.

"Moody over there's called Skye. She's the boss," he jabbed a thumb in her direction and at the mention of her name she leaned back in her chair and gave the man a death glare.

"Arno, if you call me moody one more time then I won't be pulling you out the next time you fall in sewage." I hid a grin at her threat and looked to the next person around the table.

"I'm Bard," a muscular man saluted without saying much more.

The final man was busy twiddling his thumbs and staring off into the distance. Arno gave me a sad smile when he didn't answer and he explained to me that the man was deaf. I nodded in understanding and held up a finger to say 'hold on' as I thought to myself.

"Do any of you know sign language?"

The whole group shook their heads and I felt a sure of pity for the man shoot through me. It must've been so difficult for him to live a live without sound and the joys of a conversation. I took a pause and tried to communicate with the past lives in my head.

_Come on; Can you do me the favour of showing me sign language? I don't even need a lot! At least one of you must've learnt it!_

'Indeed, child. I am the voice of Yangchen. As an female airbender I was required to learn the languages of this world to communicate with my aged masters. I shall show you the way.'

My mind flashed with hundreds of symbols and gestures that could be made with my hands and I knew numbers, letters, words and sentences that could be understood just by watching my motions.

I thanked the Avatar for her help and opened my eyes to the group of workers staring inquisitively at me. I gave them a grin and moved my body to say 'what is your name?' to the impaired man once I tapped his arm so that he was facing me.

I watched him tilt his head in confusion and for a moment I thought that maybe he didn't actually know sign language at all. Luckily for me, however, his face lit up and he spelt out Yuhi with his own hands. This was almost too easy.

I smiled and spelled out my own name for him and asked: 'do you know this language well?' He nodded back instead of signing so I knew that this would be the best way to talk to him.

After our little conversation, I looked away from Yuhi and towards the mother and child. She bobbed the boy on her knee before stating:

"I'm Laura and this is Haru." I gave the boy a little wave from the other side of the table and he gave a cheeky grin in response.

"So what is this place?" I said whilst still doing sign language for Yuhi. If this wasn't where the conspirators were hiding out then these people must have been staying down here for a reason.

"Think of it as a giant filter," Skye sighed, "we have to sort through your water to make it clean, fix the emergency electricity, sort through your packages to make sure deliveries are safe and even rummage through your waste if there's a blockage."

I cringed at the imagery and felt even worse for these poor people that were made to do this.

"Are you at least given food?" I asked in worry at their living states.

"Well the only reason we stay here is because they give us food and shelter since we have nowhere else to go," Laura said as she hugged Haru close to her.

"Why are you even bothered?" Skye cut in, "It's not like we've done anything for you."

"Look, I may not seem like much but I want to help you guys. You're all responsible for keeping this place going and I want to do what I can."

Ever since I came here I seemed to just be adding to my pile of promises. So far I was tasked with finding out about the totem, discovering the people behind the attacks, rebuilding the church and giving these people all the help I can give. It looked like I had a lot to complete.

The leader stopped rocking back in her chair and stood up to lean her hands on the table."And even if we believed you, how can we tell that you're really the 'chosen one'?"

"Skye, please," Laura reasoned, "don't you think the girl could use a break."

"No, it's alright," I interrupted as I stood as well and walked around to her. "If you want me to prove myself, then so be it."

"Yay! Mummy, will the lady do a magic trick?" I lost my serious expression as I looked over to Haru and let out a small laugh.

I ignored Skye and crouched down in front of Laura to give the boy the 'magic trick' that he wanted. Focusing on water, I cooled down my body temperature and thought hard about the water vapour in the air between us. Using my bending, I froze the droplets and rearranged them into an animal shape. Since all of the tiny particles were so far apart, I had created a cloud bunny that was suspended in thin air. I tried my best to keep up the form but I couldn't: my waterbending was still too weak.

"Fluffy!" He giggled as he tried to grab it but made it dissipate instead.

"You can make illusions- so? How is that going to help us?"

I sighed and placed my hand on the wet wall by the table and felt the water dripping down. I pulled the droplets from the brick and built up a small ball of them in my hands. I held it out in front me and moved it to the middle of the table. Everyone circled around it and then looked at me expectantly. I gave them a smile and channelled lots of my spiritual energy into my fingertip before touching the water.

The second I made contact with the bubble it turned into spirit water and glowed the same white as it had on my first day at the altar. "This water will heal most wounds in a matter of seconds."

"How did you do that?" Bard whispered, afraid to break the delicate silence.

"I told you," I said as I cupped the white orb, "I'm supposed to be the chosen one."

"So what now?" Arno brought up without taking his eyes off of the bright light.

"I want to make your lives better, _everyone's_ lives better," I smiled and let the water flow into the ashtray on the table.

'What can _we_ do?' Yuhi signed to me and I said his question aloud so that the others could understand as well.

"If you don't mind, I have some questions." I took my seat again and so did anyone who had chosen to stand. They focused all their attention on me and eagerly awaited the first thing that I would ask. "Have you ever heard of the 'spirit totem'?"

None of them really said much and only looked at each other in confusion.

"Only the parts mentioned in the legend, why? Are you looking for it?" Skye wondered.

So even these people hadn't heard anything extra about the item? The more that I was uncovering proved that there was an even higher chance that the totem didn't even exist. I had to find out more and even still, I hadn't learnt anything about the people responsible for the attacks.

"That's not important. Has anything happened recently?"

"Not recently," Laura stated. "But a while ago one of the filter tubes leading here was ruined." I tilted my head and furrowed my brows. "Bard found it filled with overgrown roots."

He hummed in agreement and leaned on his elbows. "The whole thing was destroyed and it was the third one this year. Those damn plants need burning, never seen anything grow that fast."

"Where did those pipes lead?" I asked, possibly finding a clue here.

"They went behind the church but we hadn't gathered any water from there in ages: the whole place used to be an oasis but for the past year we haven't even gathered a single drop."

I would have to search there. It didn't sit right with me that suddenly the water supply was cut off and soon after the plants had started to grow rapidly and destroy the pipelines. Something was going on there and I would have to take greater look into it.

"I see..wait a second!" I snapped my fingers, "you said that you take a look into the deliveries that come here."

"Yeah-"

"-has there been anything unusual?"

"Not that I can think of," Arno mused. "Friday is the only day that something is sent out rather than received."

"What's sent out?" I said with determination. I was onto something here and I wanted to find out what. The sudden breakages and packages didn't make sense so I wanted to see what else I could find.

"Every Friday there's a bulk delivery to be sent out and each time it's just a load of bottled water."

_Water?_ That didn't make sense. I was expecting weapons or information to be transferred between towns- not _water_.

_Friday._ Why Friday? I had just missed the last dispatch since it was now Saturday and would have to wait until next week to investigate. I didn't have that much time to waste.

_Hrghhh_

I was starving and Haru burst out laughing at the funny noise. "I'm sorry, just hungry," I grinned sheepishly.

"You should go eat," the mother said as she hugged her son.

"Do you want anything while I'm in there?" I asked all of them, already thinking that they were probably all hungry since it was nearing six o'clock. They all looked to Skye unsurely as they awaited her verdict.

"Do whatever you want," she huffed. From what I could tell, she must have just said that to avoid admitting that she wanted a meal from the kitchens.

I got up and left the group through the way that I entered and walked into the kitchens where they were still serving food to the usual occupants of the temple.

I walked over to the chef and asked if I could grab a few meals for some of my friends as well. He seemed wary of my actions but allowed me the eight trays to take with me anyway. I gave him a quick smile as I took the trolley of trays into the wine cellar and disappeared from his sight.

I gave the group their deluxe meals and ate alongside them as they told me the stories of how they each lost their homes. I found each of their tales interesting and wanted to know more about them all. By the end of the night, poor Haru was yawning and his mother rushed him over to the flat sleeping bag pressed up against the wall.

"Why do you all sleep there?" I said, hinting towards the fact that they were all around the edge of the room rather than together in the middle.

"It's the driest part," Arno whispered. "It's still damp but there are fewer leaks."

I walked over to where Haru was about to lay down and told him to wait a moment.

Focusing back onto Earth, I reached down and placed my hands on the ground. Making it look as though I was materialising a bed, I bent the ground up to form a platform and a miniature roof to limit drips. I threw his bed onto it and created some small steps to make it easier to get up.

"Wow!" He yelled. "You made me a room!" I laughed and patted his head.

"Sort of," I said, moving over and making Laura a copy of the design next to him. "It's not much but I hope it will do."

"Thank you, Evelyn. Your kindness is a great gift," she said gratefully.

I walked over to where all the other beds where placed and created the shelter for each person before going towards the exit.

"Cheers," Skye mumbled before I finally left. "You didn't have to, you know."

"I know," I whispered before going back to my own room.

* * *

So she's safe!

Next week I will be uploading the utmost adorable chapter you will read in this entire story so you're gonna have to check out this story next week to find out what happens!

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	27. Chapter 27

Guest- I'm glad you like Arno! I promise to include him in future chapters :)

Isanxd- LOVING THE HAPPY REVIEWS IN CAPITALS! HOPE YOU ENJOY THE NEXT CHAPTER!

And now, MarvelAssassin is proud to present the most adorable, fluffy chapter of this story which shows some cute early bonding, enjoy:

* * *

He was right there, mere feet away. I could already smell the gunpowder from his red jacket and see the wrinkles in his sleeves. I was creeping up from behind like a predator about to kill and my steps were inaudible to him. Korra could clearly see what was going on but cleverly kept her mouth shut as I drew nearer.

Pebbles crunched beneath my feet and I used the wind to mask my scent. If only he could admire the stealth that I was performing and witness how perfectly I was executing this approach. He was a hands width away when I pounced.

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and kissed his neck whilst he stumbled from my weight. Uncontrollably, I laughed from his reaction and had to let go since I was giggling too hard as he whipped around to see who had just done that.

"You!" He ran for me, grasped my waist in his big hands and lifted me up as he spun around.

"Miss me?" I grinned. He smiled brightly up at me and lowered me down into a deep kiss. We stayed attached for a while with our lips melded together until a cough interrupted us.

"Every time? Come on, it's only been three days!" The Avatar pouted at our actions and crossed her arms together.

"Jealous?" I teased as I let go of Iroh and gave the girl a tight hug. "But seriously, you guys need to stop worrying about me. You both always act as though I've been stabbed or something."

"Sorry," the girl mumbled, "we just don't want you to get hurt. We're not used to seeing the 'independent' Evelyn."

I could understand what she meant since I had always been with someone whenever they had seen me. Iroh had thought I was part of the Air Temple when we had met and Korra had only thought that I had been staying with Tenzin the whole time so neither had witnessed the other side of me. Truthfully, even I hadn't seen the part of me that was free of influence. Back home there had been my parents to confide in and after that I had the company of the past lives to help me and provide comfort. I had never really had the chance to embrace life without others and the more I thought about it, the more I was glad. Without people to help me on my journey then I wouldn't have made the relationships that I was extremely grateful for.

"I know," I sighed as I took hold of Iroh's hand. "But it's getting better."

We made ourselves comfortable in our usual café booth and were about to discuss the past few days.

"Before we go into the 'business' side of things, I want to know about you two." I leant my elbows on the table and smiled at my companions. Korra was the first to speak up as she ran a hand through her short hair.

"Well Asami and I have put off the wedding until everything's settled so that we won't have to worry about threats on our special day." I gave her a sad look and agreed.

"That's a shame, but I can see where you're coming from. I presume your making up for it with dates?" I grinned and winked at her, which caused her to blush but she ignored it and shrugged.

"We get out when we can."

I looked over to Iroh and grabbed his hand under the table. "What about you: any news?"

"Nothing important," he squeezed my hand and laughed as he continued. "But the men have a bone to pick with you when you get back."

"Really? What did I do now?" I raised an eyebrow and wondered what I could have possibly done to annoy the members of his crew."

"Well, remember our day off?"

"-You don't mean…"

"- It took them a while, but they've discovered the aftermath…"

I burst out laughing and Iroh soon followed which left Korra sitting stunned and confused at what we were going on about.

"Care to explain?" she waved her hand around and tried to make sense of our actions.

"Well…"

I was sprawled face first across the infinitely soft bed sheets as I closed my eyes and basked in the relaxation. The past three hours had consisted of constant training and my body was aching all over in agony. There was no doubt that I would wake up the next morning decorated in bruises from head to toe so I would have to heal myself either that night or early the next morning.

A knock at the door sounded and I groaned into the pillow as a way of telling whoever it was that I wasn't planning on moving- especially if it was just to open the door. I heard the creek of it opening and turned my head to head to face whoever had entered. Sure enough, it was Iroh and he wasn't in any better shape than I was. Blue patches had already begun to form around his arms and he would probably have a few more appearing soon as well.

He stumbled forward and slumped down next to me on the bed and I did no attempt to sit up with him.

"Can't you just leave me to suffer alone?" I grumbled incoherently into the covers.

"My room's another two doors away," he sighed tiredly which showed that he clearly didn't care about being the brave leader right now.

"Is Ronny okay?" I asked. The poor kid had wanted to join the training exercises with all of us and I think he regretted it afterwards. He was a talented fighter and one of Iroh's best, but the group fight that we were doing required more brute strength rather than skill. I wouldn't have been surprised if he had been knocked out.

"Yeah, the guy's still up on the deck. I'd get someone to move him but other than the mechanics, everyone's exhausted." We both let out a sign and he fell backwards to lie on the bed with his legs dangling off of the edge alongside mine. Taking note of each other's conditions, we let out weak chuckles.

"That was definitely the worst one yet." I turned my head to face him and huffed.

"I'll agree to that. In all my years as a General, this has been the most tiring brawl yet." He moved to look up at the white ceiling and closed his tired eyes. "You know what? Have tomorrow off. I'll tell the men later as well; you all deserve it."

"What about you? Even the boss deserves a break sometimes."

He was such a busy guy and the little time that he had off at the end of the day was hardly enough. For me though, I had many more hours in the evening to relax and heal any cuts that I had gained during the day. I did though, find that the hours break that we had at the same time were spent _together_ and it was refreshing to know that he enjoyed my company. Other than Shóu and Ronny, he was my only friend here and made the time pass much quicker.

"I might take time off. What are you planning on doing?"

"I don't know yet. Probably just relax or I might even sneak into the kitchens- but of course you've heard _nothing_ about that."

He grinned and shook his head. "Oh I don't know a _thing_. By the way, _you_ haven't heard anything about whoever stole the last iced bun have you?" He winked and I laughed, ignoring the ache in my ribs as I did so. "Well if you get bored tomorrow, just come by and find me. I'll probably be out in the practice arena." He rolled on his side to see me better and winced at the forced movement as he continued talking to me. "I'll need to get better if I plan on beating you in a fight."

I smirked but let it slip once I saw that he was being serious about training during his free day and I pushed him back down whilst he tried to sit up. "Rule number one about have a day off is that you relax and have fun. Don't train: you might as well be working!"

"Well what else am I going to do?" I rolled over onto my side and gave him a secretive smirk.

"You know…I could use a partner in crime."

"And what crimes would we be committing?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Well, for every bruise I have, I was planning on getting my revenge on whoever put it there."

He managed to stand and held out a hand to help me do the same."Sounds like a day of mischief and mayhem," I stood by his side and he nudged my arm, "I'm in."

I awoke the next morning feeling like a weight had been placed on every limb and hair on my body. I dragged myself up and before I even started to get ready I grabbed a bowl of water and gently healed my joints. If today was going to be based around getting revenge then I would need to keep the marks I had gained. It may have hurt but it would have been too suspicious to just make them go away so I had sore patches littered across my skin. I healed enough to feel well again and I could move about properly without drawing too much attention.

Oh how I couldn't wait for today's antics! There were so many things that I wanted to do and I was lucky enough to do them/share the blame with a friend. Was Iroh going to regret it? Hell yes- I don't think he realised just how serious I was when I said we were going to be committing crimes.

I got ready and put on my clothes from home rather than my usual training gear for once since there was no need to spar this morning. It felt good to have a lie-in, take my time whilst having a bath and to have no need to worry about who I would be pitted against for training later on.

I finished my morning routine and left to meet up with my companion for the day. Knocking on his door, I ran a hand through my loose hair and leant on the wall facing the entrance.

A muffled, 'come in' was uttered from the other side so I pushed it open to reveal a half ready Iroh with ruffled hair and morning stubble. I averted my eyes the second I saw his state and turned to face the door.

"S-Sorry, I'll come b-back later," I stuttered in an attempt to find the right words.

"No, no it's ok," he said casually as he removed the toothbrush from his mouth. "Take a seat, I'll be done in a sec'." I made myself as comfortable as I could on his bed and kept my eyes downcast to avoid seeing anything that I shouldn't. "So have you got a schedule for us to cover?" He asked with a slight mumble so I presumed that when he disappeared into the bathroom he was washing his face or shaving.

"Not really, but I have a few ideas that we could do," I chuckled. I may have fallen asleep the moment I closed my eyes last night, but I had plenty of time this morning to think up a few things to try. "And I take it that you enjoyed your late morning?" He laughed and I looked up to see that he was still in his white t shirt and black shorts but was now shaven.

"It's not something I think I'll get used to." Walking over, he started to lift his top over his head so I shot my gaze back down to the ground as he walked past me to his wardrobe.

Were all guys like this? Why had he let me in if he wasn't even ready? He acted as though it was the most normal thing in the world and yet I didn't even know where to look! I should've left when I could and let him get ready in peace but oh no, I was stupid enough to listen to him and now I looked as red as a beetroot whilst he changed clothes.

"So..umm..do you plan on having more days off?" I asked. Before, he had made it sound as though he wanted more time away and I needed a subject to help distract me from this..situation.

"It's a bit early for me to say but I never use my holidays." I watched his feet as he walked into the bathroom with the clothes he had picked and after seeing him round the corner I could finally breathe once more.

"You mean this is your first one?"

"Well, I guess. I've had to take time away for family events but I have never been off duty just because I can."

I grinned and looked up once I felt someone sit beside me. He was finally fully dressed and clean but he still hadn't combed his hair.

"Then I'll have to make sure today is worth your sacrifice."

We both got up to leave but Iroh quickly jogged ahead to open the door for me. "After you, milady," he bowed with a mock voice.

"Why thank you, kind sir," I replied in a similar manner but only made it halfway through the door before I stopped and turned back around to face him. I tried to stifle a laugh but failed as he began to question me. I continued to giggle as I reached up and combed my fingers through his dark hair as it stuck up in all directions. Once I finally got it to sit right, I continued the posh voice and said, "A gentleman should never leave unprepared," before starting to smile again at his shocked face.

He shook himself out of his little phase and closed the door behind us as he grabbed my hands.

"Then I am very lucky to have a woman like you by my side." I blushed furiously and had to look away to prevent him from seeing my cheeks but he must've noticed and moved my chin to face him. "Red suits you," he chuckled and let go of me entirely. "So what's first?"

I calmed down a bit and on cue, my stomach growled. "I don't know about you but I'm hungry."

"And I'm guessing that you don't want the usual porridge?" he grinned in understanding and we started our walk to the kitchens rather than the dining hall where everyone would probably be up and eating.

"Nope. And since we missed breakfast we get first dibs on lunch," I rubbed my hands evilly and pushed open the doors to reveal the mazes of cookers, stoves, fridges, plates and **_food_****.**

"Won't we get caught?" Iroh whispered as he crouched down a bit and tried to stay hidden. I remained stood up and walked straight to the refrigerators and rummaged around the shelves without giving a second thought to all the noise I was making.

"Don't worry, Mr Serious. It's exactly twelve fifty three which means we have seven minutes to get what we need and go," I said as I pulled last night's leftover spaghetti from the fridge. I gestured to the tub and he nodded unsurely in approval.

"You know their shifts?" He asked in surprise as I placed some of the meal on two plates.

"I like to know how things work- including everyone's schedule. Plus, it helps when I get hungry," I looked at his impressed face. "I'm just shocked that you're willing to do this." I gave him a wide grin and heated our food in the microwave for a bit.

"Yeah well don't expect this to be a regular occurrence."

We took our plates with us back to my room where we ate happily and I found that my day had started out quite well.

"Are you still ready for some payback?" I smirked as we finished our plates and pushed them to one side. He nodded with a mischievous look in his eyes and we walked back out into the hallway.

"First things first," I pulled my gown up a bit to show him my shin which was now entirely blue and purple. "There's only one person with a foot this big and I'm gonna make him pay for it."

We spent a great deal of time darting around corners and being pressed up against walls to avoid being spotted as we gradually grew closer to the men's resting quarters. Due to our skittish movements and determination to stay away from others, we had to take the long way around which completely passed all of the guard's routes since they were still on duty.

We ended up facing the door to the cabins and were still stepping quietly to prevent being detected by anyone who may still be inside.

I had never really wanted to go here. Somehow the idea of smelly, sweaty clothing and the stench of alcohol and cigarettes didn't really appeal to me.

"What are you going to do to him?" Iroh whispered from the other end of the doors so that we were stood either side of it.

"I have a plan, you?" Iroh had previously shown me the nasty scrape Shóu had given him when he had been thrown across the deck and I was glad that I only received a bruise from the giant.

"I have a more.._direct_..approach," he smirked.

We both crept through the doors and were careful to close them behind us silently since we still had no idea if anyone was even in here. Staying agile and hiding behind hammocks and crates, we progressed to where our target would spend his nights.

A loud snore erupted out of a nearby cot and I couldn't help but jump at the monstrous noise. Peering over, the two of us had to restrain ourselves from laughing and clamped a hand over our noses to prevent the outburst of snorting.

Lying in a very unusual position was the man we sought for who obviously had taken very well to the idea of a day off. His arms and legs were draped out of the hammock and his head lolled out as well. The only part of him that was actually in his bed was his torso and bottom but the rest just seemed to flow out at its own accord.

The sudden sound was a confident sign that he was asleep so we could continue our plans without fault.

I stepped slowly towards his sleeping area and knelt down lower as I drew closer to the end of his bed. As much as I wanted to yell and wake the man, I knew that it wouldn't be quite as fun and would spoil whatever Iroh had planned, so I stayed silent and tried to find what I wanted in the dark: _Shoes_.

I didn't want his usual pair, however. What I did want were the older ones that he only ever wore when his were ruined or lost. In a sense, they were his backup plan. That meant he wouldn't know I had been tampering with them until much later on when it would be way too late.

Now on my hands and knees, I felt for what I wanted and eventually came across them besides his little table. I turned to make sure that Iroh was still there and, sure enough, he was waiting patiently for his turn.

I used my finger like a blow torch and concentrated my heat into a small flame. Carefully, I picked up the first shoe and melted the sole of it before rushing to put it back in the exact spot that I found it in. I repeated the process with the other foot and stuck it securely to the floor.

I crept back over to Iroh and signalled that it was his turn to wreak havoc. Before he did so, he asked me in a hushed tone to step back and stand by the entrance to watch the show. I did as he asked and pinned myself up against the door to keep it sealed shut. He picked himself up from the ground and marched to the end of Shóu's bed with an 'I'm pissed' expression.

"GET UP!"

Shóu jolted up with a gasp and looked around manically in surprise before unceremoniously falling from his resting place. He quickly raised his hand in a sloppy salute as he laid eyes on his leader. "S-Sir!"

Iroh didn't say anything else and just chose to scowl at the man before walking out with me. I didn't turn back to see how the bigger man had reacted but from the silence I knew he was quite stunned. Once we were out in the hallway we turned to face each other and smiled in victory before breaking our quietness with laughing.

"His..face!" I managed to snort as I looked over to my friend to see that he was also doubled over in fits.

"You are so..dead..when he finds..his shoes!" He gasped between breaths.

I shook my head and kept a cheery expression. "I'll just buy him a new pair once he realises."

We went back to Iroh's room to formulate a plan for our next attack. There were still plenty of people on board that we would have to confront and planning something for each of them would take some time.

Our next person would have been Ronny since he managed to land a pretty good hit on both of our backs and it really limited our movement. But since the poor guy was in such bad shape, we decided to leave him be.

The next victim was La. She was one of the waterbenders that had landed a couple of blows with her water whips. For her, we had to think up completely new ideas since we wanted most of our antics to go unnoticed until a later date.

The two of us knocked on her door and rustling could be heard from the other side as she opened the door with a book in her other hand.

"How can I help you?" La asked tiredly which only meant that she was yet another that had enjoyed the extra long break this morning.

"Razor managed to escape again. Do you think you could help out?" Iroh lied. Razor was the ship's messenger hawk that was now more of a pet than an asset in war. Ever since the telephones had been used we never seemed to use Razor often and it was La's duty to keep him fed and tame.

"_That bloody bird always getting into trouble,"_ she grumbled to herself as she stormed out of the room with her book in hand.

"What to do…what to do," I thought aloud as I paced the length of the room.

"If we do anything too simple then she'll notice right away," Iroh added as he stayed over by the door on lookout duty.

"You're the partner in crime here, how about you think of something!" I told him since I was fresh out of ideas for the woman.

"Fine," he moved over to where I was and we switched our roles. "But you have to still take some of the blame!"

I huffed and nodded.

"How about we switch around her toiletries?" He asked uncomfortably as he looked down to the ground. "But you'll have to do that."

I smiled at his discomfort and jogged over to the bathroom where La had loads of tubs and boxes of things around the sink and mirror. I laughed evilly under my breath as I saw the two similar looking pots filled with various creams.

What I did was simple enough and I just switched the different coloured lids over from the face moisturiser and hair removal cream. Peeking around the door, I held up the two plastic tubs.

"What do you think?" I asked as I showed him that they were almost identical.

"What will that do to her?" He asked with an unsure expression.

"Just remove her eyebrows after a few uses," I wriggled my own comically and put the pots back in their rightful places. "Don't worry they'll grow back soon afterwards anyway."

We left and continued our rampage of mischief by concocting disgusting meals and replacing fresh ones as well as putting flour from the kitchens in some of the crew's pillow cases. By the early evening we had already played a trick on every single person that had laid a finger on either one of us.

W staggered back to my room with grins plastered across both our faces and laughs echoing around us.

"I-Imagine their r-reactions!" I panted.

He patted my back and nudged my arm. "I just hope you're still here to help me spread the blame!"

I sobered a little and ceased the joking. _Still here?_ I knew that I would have to leave at some point to meet with Tenzin and Korra but I really didn't want to go just yet. My days here with the crew were fun and filled with entertainment and I wanted little more than to stay here with them all. And Iroh? Well, he and I had grown close throughout the past few weeks and after our first fight and healing session, I had become fond of the man and built a strong trust with him. He was one of the few people that I could genuinely call a friend.

"Oh!" I jumped when I figured out a plan to release the growing tension. "There's still one more person!"

He gave me an incredulous look and raised an eyebrow. Instead of answering his confused expression, I dashed ahead of him and entered my room. He didn't immediately follow me through which gave me just enough time to prepare.

"Who did we mi-"

_SMACK!_

We were both frozen for a moment: Iroh had a shocked face and I was armed with a pillow as a few feathers drifted down between us.

"Did you just-"

_SMACK!_

I gave him my cheekiest grin and I quickly rushed the pillow behind my back, out of his reach. "Nooooo…"

He pushed past me with determination etched in his features as he picked up a red cushion and hit me across the back with it.

"You did **not** just hit a _woman!_" I gasped in mock surprise as he held his pillow in front of him as a shield.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," he quipped.

I lunged for him and tried to land a blow on his face but he managed to block it instead. He swung for me but I combat rolled over my bed and hit him on the back of his legs.

He fell down on the floor and while he was down I saw that he had picked up another cushion so that he now had one in each hand. Using them like a propeller, he spun them towards me and I ducked. As I proceeded to stand he slapped me with a pillow across the face which made me fly back down.

Using his previous attack to my advantage, I turned away from him whilst still on the floor and curled into myself. I let out a small whimper and let go of my pillow to cradle the cheek that he had hit.

"E-Evelyn!" He gasped as knelt down to my level and brushed by my side. I rotated further away for him and released more sobs. "I'm so, so sorry! I didn't mean t-"

_SMACK!_

I had taken his own tools and used them against him whilst he was too busy fawning over my 'injured' body.

To be quite serious, I didn't think that he would actually fall for my act so easily. He had seen me take punches and kicks from the most the most powerful foes and yet the moment I am stuck with a mere cushion, he thinks that I am genuinely hurt. I guess I should be flattered that he was actually worried.

I started to laugh again and now I had two pillows in my grasp. Without giving a second thought, I continuously smacked Iroh again and again as I watched the feathers start billowing out of the split fabric.

"I surrender!" He chuckled underneath the mass of white stuffing.

I playfully threw the empty cases at him and collapsed onto the bed.

"What a day," the firebender sighed as he fell down beside me.

"You liked it?" I asked curiously.

"Yeah, but I'm back in charge in the morning so I really should get some rest." He stood up and made his way to leave but stopped halfway there. "Thank you, I really enjoyed today."

I smiled as he left.

"Hold on, hold on," Korra stopped me after the story telling and waved her hands around. "So you mean to tell me that Mr Serious here actually pulled _pranks_ on his own crew?"

I chuckled and nodded. "That's just one story!"

"I think one story is quite enough! Iroh shook his head and squeezed my hand. "That's plenty of fuel for Korra's teasing for one day!"

"He's right." Korra leaned forwards and whispered. "Now, tell us about the temple."

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Awww! This has been, by far, my favourite chapter to write and I just love the little things that Evelyn and Iroh do together!

And a bit of suspense at the end as well! I wonder what could happen next chapter...

**Please Review**\- It would be much appreciated! (It really doesn't matter whether you are a new reader or not :P)


	28. Chapter 28

There was a secret.

And, like all secrets and mysteries, I was intent on solving it and uncovering the truth that would otherwise threaten this world. For me, I was directly affected. The fact remained that I was part of this situation and no matter what I planned to do; the outcome would come at a cost. Did I know what it would be? No. Was I determined to find out? Of course I was.

From the rumours and stories that I had learnt over the past week, I knew that there was something that I was still missing. There was a piece of the puzzle that I had yet to find and without it there would be no final picture.

As silly and strange as it sounded: leaves were the key. Plants and their roots were destroying the temple from the inside-out but what made it suspicious was that it had only been happening recently. There was only one explanation and after hours of deep thought and pacing I had figured it out.

Spirit water.

The properties that the mystical water held consisted of healing and repair. The cells of an organism develop quicker than normal and not only would it repair damage; it would also speed up growth. But knowing this only ignited more questions:

Where was the water? How did it get there?

I had to go and check it out for myself. I was the chosen one here and although I was greeted with honours, there still hadn't been any tasks for me to complete. The leaders here had just left me to my own ways to save the temple and provide them with a future. I had little time to worry about all of that so I focused on my main mission.

Getting up and ready, I finished my breakfast and took a stroll to the gardens in an attempt to find clues involving the spirit water source. From what Skye had told me, the damages had been made on the north side of the church but I chose to check the know areas that thrived in plant live before checking elsewhere.

Seeing nothing unusual, I retreated from the gardens and walked in my normal pace to reach the church which was where my suspicion originated from.

"I'm sorry, but you're a little late for the morning service," Louis greeted without looking up as he collected stray bibles from along the pews. When he saw it was me, he stopped and smiled. "Oh! Sorry, Evelyn, are you just here for a visit?"

I smiled and moved towards the altar on the far end. "I came to admire the decor."

The beauty of the place still astounded me on my fifth visit and I took a great liking towards the strained glass that littered the ground. It may have been quite messy, but the reds and blues cast an array of colours over the entire building.

Louis must have notice what I was looking at and sighed. "Sorry about the mess," he knelt down and carefully picked up a piece of fallen glass. "I haven't had chance to sweep and more of the wall seems to crumble down every day."

"Do you know why?" I asked since this could have been a possible lead.

"I think she's just getting old," he patted the solid wall.

Taking curious steps, I went over to where the large hole was and tried to peer through the vines that had filled the gap.

"Another garden?"

"No. From what I've heard it's the oasis that the building was built around. The thing is- no one goes through since you'll just end up lost."

There it was: the lies that were fed to the people which held the truth within them. The legend of the temple had said that the church was built around the totem so that it was guarded from evil spirits. I didn't understand how these people were so oblivious that they didn't put two and two together and realised that this 'oasis' was the key!

I stepped back, "what do you think it's like?"

"The oasis?"

I nodded.

"There are probably lots of plants and trees with plenty of water," he sighed as he returned to collecting books.

"Do you think there could be food?" I asked. I needed a way to convince Louis that I should go through.

"Probably," he shrugged.

"If this has what you say it has then just imagine the supplies that could be found within!"

He seemed unsure and looked worriedly at the mass of leaves covering some of the wall. "It could be dangerous. I can't let the chosen one be harmed."

I mentally scoffed.

"I'll be fine," I smiled which seemed to do little to comfort him.

"I'm not letting you go. You could get hurt!" He tried to reason.

"Do you think I can't do it?" I said in a quiet yet authoritative tone. He seemed quite taken aback at my sudden change and from his sudden flinch I could see that he was fearful. "I have powers that are unimaginable and yet you do not think I am capable?" My voice increased in volume and I took another step back.

Louis shook his head slowly at first and then did so more rapidly as he mumbled 'no' repeatedly.

I calmed myself down and smoothed my dress. "No where were we?" A sweet chime now replacing my voice, "ah yes, I will be venturing through there if you would excuse me."

Waving my arms a bit, I parted the vines with subtle air bending and stepped through to create my own path. Although the way was clear, I immediately regretted wearing this dress since my legs were limited in movement and I couldn't even move my hands around properly without tearing the arms.

_This..stupid..dress!_ I gave up trying to step over branches and just leant down to tear the bottom of it so that I now had a leg slit. _Better._

I continued to wade through the variety of green foliage as I attempted to reach wherever the centre was until I was abruptly stopped.

Water was here. But not just any water: spirit water. The trickle flowed as a miniature stream across from where I was standing and I could already tell that I was getting closer. Deciding to stick with what I knew, I changed path and followed the stream. If I was correct, it would lead me straight to the source which, in my case, was a totem.

I battled through more stems and had to leap over tangles of roots to stay on track. The further I moved, the thicker the air became and the taller the plants grew. Soon enough, I was surrounded by trees that were easily the same size as the building behind me and I wondered why no one had been curious enough to take a look for themselves. But I was already about to be proven wrong.

A footprint was lodged into the mud that followed the stream and taking a closer look it appeared to be a woman's shoe. As I looked up again I also saw that the wall of leaves and branches were removed and a path had already been formed here.

Weird. Someone must have already been out here.

I crept quietly along the trail of prints and listened intently for any sounds or sudden noises.

The trail was about half a mile long and I soon found myself back at the same point but now there were even more of the prints.

**_'They're yours, idiot.'_**

_Very mature, _I huffed mentally to Aang. He was right though and the stream must've just been circular and acted like more of a moat around something. But what was it surrounding?

I changed tactics and cut through the leaves that were filling the middle only to find a giant rock.

Reaching out, I touched the dark grey stone and was genuinely shocked when the entire surface glowed white. I pulled away and crouched down in the shrubbery.

_Someone was bound to have seen that ._I stayed as still as I possibly could and tried to hear if anyone else was nearby. After ten minutes of patiently waiting, I emerged and padded around the rock to try and see if there was anything else of interest here.

Sure enough, the large boulder had actually turned out to be a cave of sorts. From where I stood, the entire inside was pitch black and from the dripping sounds that I could hear inside, I wouldn't be able to firebend.

It didn't really matter what I did to light up the place. Either way, anyone inside would see me and I cared little for ripping my dress. If I was attacked, then I would be fighting back.

I stepped inside and touched the wall which made the walls glow in a gentle white light that wasn't nearly as harsh as the previous times that I had came in contact with spirit water.

Now with the cave alight, I could clearly see that this was what I had been searching for.

Two large puddles were on either side of the cave with waterfalls connecting them to slightly smaller ones above them. In total, there were about five puddles in one trail that curved to meet the other set in the middle of the room. Flowers adorned the ground and the entire base was made out of a carpet of daisies and tulips that thrived with the magical water. But that wasn't even the start.

In the middle of the room was a huge cylinder that touched the ceiling with intricate markings carved all along its sides. It pulsed a bright blue and the miniature moat surrounding it was copying the motions.

I was curious and shuffled closer to the totem that was emitting spiritual energy in vast amounts and I felt my own body being filled with tremendous power. As I stepped closer, I dipped my finger in one of the various puddles and watched as some of the water droplets turned white and flowed down the waterfall and into the next small lake.

To me, it looked like paradise. This much colour and vibrancy reminded me of a home from home and the need to see more just increased the longer I was here.

I hopped over the moat and leaned forward with my arm stretched out. I extended my fingers, ready to touch the surface when I stopped.

Should I do this? Am I ready?

Of course I was. Who else was more capable of doing this than I was? I ignored my conscience and closed the little distance between the stone and my fingertips.

I was blinded.

I thought that when you went blind it would be nothing but darkness.

But white was all that I could see.

Was 'seeing' the word to use? I don't know.

The flash faded and the aftermath left me with white dots clouding my vision as I had to fight back the urge to throw up right there and then. I blinked furiously in an attempt to clear my sight and after falling to my knees I could finally see the grass by my legs becoming focused.

**"So ****_you_**** are the chosen one?"** A deep rumble was heard from up above and I snapped my head up and leapt up onto my feet.

I prepared a heavy defensive stance and looked around for where the sound had come from.

**"There is no need for such precautions,"** the voice appeared again from right behind me and I swiftly spun around to meet face to face with it. By the time I had managed to turn around, the person behind it was gone.

"Who are you?" I yelled out into thin air as I twisted around again.

**"I am Raiden. What is your name, child?"** A whoosh of air stroked my back and I whirled around to try and see my company.

"My name has little importance," I snapped irritably at my constant need to turn. "Where are you?"

**"My physique also has little importance,"** he copied my tone as I felt another rush of wind circle near me. **"You make an interesting human,"** he murmured, **"though you are not human, are you?"**

My breath was caught in my throat and I rose into an offensive stance instead. "What do you know of me?" I demanded.

A deep chuckle resonated around me in all directions and filled the eerie silence. **"You carry many names,"** he stated. **" I wish to know which one is yours."**

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," I stuttered as I lowered my arms and crossed them.

**"Which is it? Are you Yangchen?" **The air grew cold as the voice drifted off before returning a moment later. **"No." **

I tilted my head in confusion and back up against the totem in fear of whoever was in the cave with me. How did he know so much?

**"Are you Roku? Certainly not."** Something brushed up against my cheek and I kept my face still as the voice spoke by my side. **"I will ask again. Who. Are. You?"**

"E-Eveyln. My name is Evelyn." I blurted since that was still my alias name anyway.

**"I see. Your name means 'desired.' How interesting…"**

"Like I asked earlier: where and who are you?" I pressed myself further onto the totem as I prepared to come face to face with them.

Something rough yet feathery brushed up against the back of my legs and neck and I jumped forward in surprise at the feeling. I slowly turned around to see what it was and gasped in awe at what I saw.

Holding itself up on the totem was a huge serpent creature covered in blue scales with white fur lining across its body. Large claws gripped onto the totem's designs to stay upright and wings sprouted out from the body that easily touched both sides of the cave. I dragged my gaze all the way up to the top of the artefact and was met by two ice blue eyes that studied me curiously.

"You're a dragon," I stated simply in disbelief as though it wasn't real.

**"And you are part spirit**," he said in the same way.** "Am I correct in assuming that you have found what you were looking for?"**

I nodded dumbly as I was still looking over his form but soon snapped out of it when I realised that I still had plenty to do here. "Tell me, Raiden, why have the plants suddenly taken over the temple?"

I saw how his large eyes squinted and his long tail stopped swaying behind him. **"There have been intruders. They have violated this oasis and disrupted the balance of good and evil in these lands. I have made sure that the dark spirits remain dormant but to do so I have needed to release more energy into the streams. As long as the people are safe then I see no worry."**

I nodded in agreement and also saw that the plants weren't actually causing any serious problems. They may have destroyed the church wall and cut off a few pipes, but even with these faults, the temple could still run as usual.

"Who are these intruders?"

**"Men I cannot battle. My soul is here yet my body is attached to the Spirit World. They are unable to see me and so I have little effect on them. You, however, are the opposite."**

New voices could be heard by the cave's mouth and I rushed behind the totem to hide and took my hand off of any surface to make the white glow dim down so that it was dark again.

"-it's just because it's the last batch," a woman said to whoever was with her as the room suddenly gained a faint red glow.

_So the girl is a firebender._ I took note.

"But I don't see why they need this many of us to do it," the man beside her answered.

I couldn't see either of them and it gave me a horrible disadvantage. Because of this, I switched to earthbending and pressed my hand down to the grass by my feet. I could only sense the two of them and they each had their arms out in front of them as though they were holding something that I couldn't see.

"Just get on with it!" The woman finally snapped at him. I tried to sense them again and found that they had moved to one of the puddles to my right. I shuffled around the totem so that I would be out of their line of sight and continued to silently wait for them to go.

I heard splashes and dripping from where the people stood so I presumed that they must have been collecting the water for some reason. Whatever it was, one of them had said that it was one batch out of many which meant that they had been here earlier today.

"Can't you bend it quicker? I want to go home _sometime_ today," the lady scolded the man who I now knew to be a waterbender.

"Well it's not like you or Ray are doing anything useful!"

_Ray? But I only sensed two people…_ I stiffened when I realised that there was a third person somewhere nearby and I still had no clue where he was.

"Useful! Well try doing this without me then!" The boy groaned but managed to continue his job through her tantrum. "Ray, I'm outta here, you coming?" She sighed.

The only source of light went out and I a loud splash of water from where the pair of benders stood.

_Ray? Where had I heard that name before?_

I didn't hear anything from the third person in response to her question so I presumed that the man must've just signalled a yes or no to her instead.

"Okay, well just make sure that bird-brain over there doesn't drop any of the goods on your way back to base."

I sighed quietly in relief and tried to peer around the corner to find the third person now that I knew that there were only two people and one of them was occupied.

I shuffled my feet and stayed pressed to the rock as I leered around the cylinder totem to try and see who or what was happening on the other side.

I didn't get far though before my foot slipped and touched the moat surrounding the totem. The white glow started off small until it managed to spread down the streams and into the puddles that the boy was collecting from, causing him to look up abruptly.

"Ray? Ray!" He hushed, "Someone's here."

Footsteps approached and I shuffled back over so that he wouldn't be able to see me. I continued to circle around the obstacle until something hard was bumped into my side.

"There you are," a monstrous man bellowed as he tightened his arms around me and crushed my arms to my body. He would easily have beaten Shóu in size and yet I did little to give up.

Kicking and wriggling around, I tried to pry myself away but he kept a strong hold on me."Let go of me!"

The other man came over with a water whip armed and a nervous stare. Out of the two he was the weaker and I could use that to my advantage.

"Please! I am just lost!" I pleaded to the smaller man in an attempt to sway his emotions.

"No! Don't try and use that 'damsel in distress' crap on me!" He yelled.

"Fine," I relaxed in the man's grip and flattened my palms out to lift up two boulders on either side of the cave. Before they could react, I threw one at my capture's head which made him let go of me instantly and I used the other to crush the other man's right hand.

The younger man let out an ungodly screech at the pain in his hand and I dashed over to where the totem stood strong. Raiden materialised beside me in a slightly smaller form and nodded his huge head at me.

**"Destroy them."**

* * *

New characters have appeared!

I would like to thank the people who favourited this story this week!

**But I had no reviews :(**

**It just makes me really happy to read all your lovely comments and I would love to reply to any questions or theories that you have for the story so far :)**


	29. Chapter 29

Isanxd- Thank you :P I love that you love this and hope you enjoy what happens next…

Curiousmaq- Wow, you have no idea how happy I am that I am one of your favourite authors and stories! I also love it when I can skip to another chapter without waiting a week when I'm in the future- I always say to myself: 'I would have hated to wait a week for that' as I click on the next one.

This chapter includes another reviewer's character so I hope you like them!

Enjoy…

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_"There you are," a monstrous man bellowed as he tightened his arms around me and crushed my arms to my body. He would easily have beaten Shóu in size and yet I did little to give up._

_Kicking and wriggling around, I tried to pry myself away but he kept a strong hold on me."Let go of me!" I yelled._

_The other man came over with a water whip armed and a nervous stare. Out of the two he was the weaker and I could use that to my advantage._

_"Please! I am just lost!" I pleaded to the smaller man in an attempt to sway his emotions._

_"No! Don't try and use that 'damsel in distress' crap on me!" He yelled._

_"Fine," I relaxed in the man's grip and flattened my palms out to lift up two boulders on either side of the cave. Before they could react, I threw one at my capture's head which made him let go of me instantly and I used the other to crush the other man's right hand._

_The younger man let out an ungodly screech at the pain in his hand and I dashed over to where the totem stood strong. Raiden materialised beside me in a smaller form and nodded his huge head at me._

**_"Destroy them."_**

* * *

Using his burly arm, Ray wiped his bloody nose on his sleeve and spat the remaining blood from his crooked mouth. "You really think you can defeat us?"

I smirked at the doorman and glanced over at Raiden who growled in response.

"Don't underestimate me." I lifted five big stones and let them hover by my side as the men prepared for battle.

Ray stiffened his stance and held both arms out to the sides and began to form swirls of air that grew in size to resemble tornadoes in each palm.

"Bradley! Take her left!"

The smaller man charged at my side with shards of ice suspended and following him behind. I used one of the rocks to destroy the weapons and tried to hit the boy with another. He was quicker than I expected and dodged to the side, easily avoiding my hit. Coming up on my right, Ray balled his fists and shot streams of air at me. I used the earth to create a shield and pushed it towards him at the same time.

Bradley approached again and shot tens of clear blue spikes at me that pieced through the air with ferocious ease. I rolled to the side and was now standing in a puddle of water that used my aura to light up the room further.

"Luna! Come in!" Ray shouted into a handheld radio as I was distracted by his co-worker and he continued to yell into it to get a response.

"What's happening?" The voice on the other side asked hurriedly.

I dashed towards Bradley and leapt into the air to crash back down. My movements lifted the ground and a path of jagged rocks spread to him and pushed him back away from me. Now that he was far enough out of my sight, I could shift the area that Ray stood on and break his balance.

As the man fell, the device was dropped to the floor and I stepped hard onto it to smash the speaker into pieces.

"Backup won't help you!" I yelled at both of them as I slammed my hands onto the ground. Using a great amount of energy, I closed my eyes and raised two pillars underneath each man to throw them into the air.

Ray managed to air bend down but Bradley flailed around and landed in one of the small lakes.

_Lucky._

But I couldn't be dealing with this. I had no intention of seriously hurting anyone and I had no real evidence that would prove these people of being guilty. If they had successfully called for more people to arrive then that meant that this situation would just become way too complicated.

Loud footsteps echoed outside and a group of about five people stormed in with guns and an array of different bending styles.

From the looks of them, they were indeed part of another organisation. They all wore body armour and black sashes were tied around all of their waists.

"Get her!" The one I presumed to be Luna screamed as all of the new attackers charged for me.

The next thing I knew there was water coming from above, earth crawling towards me, air hurtling in my direction and fire swirling nearer. I made a dome around my body and opened a tunnel beneath my feet to travel to another part of the cave. Reappearing, I metal bended the guns so that they were useless and threw chunks of Earth at everyone's backs until they finally noticed that I had travelled behind them.

"Don't lose her!"

Before many of them could react, the earth had reached them and I managed to knock three of them unconscious.

Luna and Ray attacked at the same time and I rolled out of the way but didn't manage to see Bradley. He landed a sore blow to my left arm with his whip and I inwardly cursed at myself for not seeing it coming.

"That'll teach you, bitch!" One of the new arrivals shouted at me cockily. To counter his remark, I moved the ground beneath his feet to make him fall and catapulted him onto Bradley which sent them both straight into the wall.

Ray drew closer and continued to blow out my attacks as he walked onwards. Luna did much the same and from their close proximity, I had to step away.

I kept punching in a boxing style and threw balls of earth and muck at them to keep them at bay but no matter how much I resisted, they still kept getting closer.

Not long after, I was pinned in a corner with a stream of both fire and air coming towards me from each side.

I had no choice

They had pushed me to the edge.

I extended my arms and watched as the elements both crawled up to my elbows as I took control of each of them.

I crushed my eyes closed.

It wasn't long until my body lost control and everything went black.

***Narrator's POV***

Evelyn's body glowed a blinding white and the elements crawling up each arm grew in size to encase her entire body. She floated with her hair flickering wildly as she opened her eyes to reveal a piecing ice blue stare.

They never stood a chance.

Evelyn hovered higher and higher until she nearly touched the ceiling and let a rain of ice and fire shower the bodies below her. Luna and Ray tried their best to shield her attacks but the vast amounts of force and speed left them cut and bruised.

The girl continued her rampage by separating the very earth and blocking the exit with a wall of lava and rock to prevent their escape. She was draining her energy rapidly and the strain being placed on her body would be traumatic in days to come but, at the moment, she was unaware. Evelyn was no longer here and the being wreaking havoc was nothing more than a monster in the girl's body.

More fire. More ice. More lava. More torment and destruction. If she lasted any longer then not only would she destroy the totem, she would also leave a mark on her very soul.

The air whipped and lashed around her and the flowers that had once adorned the cave were now flattened and trodden.

For Evelyn to live through this she would need copious amounts of power to keep going and luckily for her, the totem was providing just that. But it wouldn't last for long.

She swirled her arms around and the entire cave began to shake and rumble. Huge chucks of stone and dirt fell onto the ground and some managed to crush fallen foes- killing them in the process. The two people left standing did all they could to stay intact and rushed around to avoid being hit.

Abruptly, Evelyn flicked both of her wrists and the armour that covered Luna was being twisted and contorted into vile shapes and spikes. The woman screamed in dire agony at the metal piercing her flesh and it wasn't long before she also joined her fallen teammates.

Her power was being drained and her attacks began to waver. The speed of the circling winds died down and the fire smothering her body became less vibrant.

After mere minutes of going into the spirit state, Evelyn was down and collapsing through the air before she thudded down onto the muddy ground.

Being the only one conscious, Ray limped over and picked up her comatose form as he carried her out of the cave over his shoulder.

"You shouldn't have resisted," he spat as he threw her into the back of one of the trucks outside with the spiritual blue beast following unknowingly behind.

Soon, she would have the_ pleasure_ of meeting with his master.

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Not the longest of chapters but I am going full out and uploading the entire rest of the story today!

I finally finished it last night so I think I've made you all wait enough:

click next to view the next chapter :D

**Remember to review!**


	30. Chapter 30

***Iroh's POV***

What was going on?

Korra and I had travelled back to colonies to meet up with Evelyn again but it had already been forty minutes and there hadn't been any sign of her.

"Stop pacing! Seriously you're gonna give me a headache with all your clicking!"

"Where is she?" I snapped at her which didn't have the effect that I had hoped. She placed a hand on her hip and scowled back.

"Well let me just use my telepathic skills and find out for you," she droned sarcastically as she took a seat in our usual booth. I took sat opposite her and tapped my fingers impatiently on the table.

"She's never been this late," I murmured and Korra just raised a disapproving eyebrow.

"It's not even been an hour, Iroh. Chill out."

I sighed and leaned back in my chair.

She was right. I had to give Evelyn credit and let her do her job without interfering. From our past meetings she had managed to gather more information than we had initially hoped. The great thing was that she hadn't failed a single task set for her yet and she did it all without even having to stick to her original alias. From what she had told us, there wasn't even any need to hand over the blueprint plans and that the only true need for her identity was to make it out to these regroupings which she had disguised as business meetings. I was impressed.

But what even was she to me? We were friends, definitely, but there was obviously something else there. The night that we first kissed opened up a door to emotions that I had no clue even existed. Never before had I felt the need to protect and hold someone so dearly in this way and every time I saw her there was a feeling of nervousness which never really made sense. So what were we?

I should ask her.

In fact, I would ask her today.

I wonder what she would say. She was always so tight with her emotions and I was unsure whether should would actually answer the question. Now that I thought about it, she hadn't ever shown worry, fear or pain until the night she cried over her family. Even so, it was when we were alone and I had _asked_ her about it. She had even stayed quiet about the marks on her face.

Oh those marks.

I had evil plans in store for whoever dared to lay a finger on my friend. Was I being possessive? Yes I was. Did I care? Not even a little. There was no one, _no one_ that would ever get away with hurting an innocent, let alone someone that I cared for deeply. Just thinking about wringing the man's neck and burning his lips until he would never be able to kiss anot-

"-earth to Iroh, hello?" I broke free from my despicable thoughts when a waving hand was a hairs width from my face.

"What?"

"Over by the door…"

I whipped my head over the side of the chair and tried to see whatever Korra was gesturing towards, hoping that Evelyn was going to be there.

Standing around, a group of around six people came in wearing large trench coats and black caps as more of them appeared from out of a stall and joined them. In total there were about eight of them and my suspicion was growing with each man.

Why was there so many?

I turned back to see what Korra made of the situation but she just nodded back to the scene to make me look again.

"We have another delivery," the tallest man said to the owner of the café who nodded in understanding and scuttled into the kitchens behind him. He came back out with an empty plastic crate normally used for dishes and set it on the side.

"How much do I get for this week's shipment?" He asked with a careful tone in his voice. Judging by his actions, he was afraid which meant that these men must have been dangerous.

"Three hundred Yuan," the leader smirked under the shadow of his cap.

"But that's almost half of last week's!" The owner yelled but immediately regretted doing so when he realised who he was talking to

"Well we had a…_delay_ during our collection," he snapped back and turned towards his followers that bowed their heads in dismay. He returned his stare to his customer as he slammed the money onto the counter. In one swoop, the smaller man swiped the currency and the larger flicked two fingers in the air.

Following their given order, some of the other men brought forth a trolley filled with bottles of…_water? _And they filled up the crate.

"I hope you get the job done." He started to walk out with his crew before he stopped in the doorway and glared. "If you fail me, I **will** find you."

The entire room was in silence for a couple of minutes as the guests were busy trying to figure out what had just happened. After a while, chatter started up and many of the conversations had completely avoided the topic.

_This must be a common occurrence. _I thought. It was the only explanation that added up and by the way that no one screamed or ran out, I knew that the visitors were well known in these parts.

"What do you think that was about?" Korra whispered as she took back my attention.

I shook my head and turned to look at the owner who was carrying the crate to the kitchens. "I don't know, but there's one way to find out."

Standing up, I walked over to the counter and hit the small bell that was next to the register.

"How can I help you?" A young girl with an apron asked.

"I would like to speak with the manager," I pointed to the door and watched as she broke eye contact with me.

"He's… occupied at the moment, would you like anything to eat?" She said shakily.

I waved my hand in dismissal and went back over to my seat where Korra looked interested in my actions.

"You want to find out more about them?"

"Yes. Did you notice the disturbance between them when they spoke of a 'delay'?" She nodded. "And there still isn't any sign of Evelyn arriving. I have a feeling that this 'delay' was because-"

Korra seemed to catch on and the dread that crossed her face was clearly apparent. "-Evelyn had something to do with this."

I nodded and we abruptly rose from our seats.

We would need to follow them. An hour had already passed and Evelyn still hadn't arrived at our usual time and she wasn't someone that would willingly be late to a planned appointment.

We dashed out and made it in time to see three trucks driving off into the desert. There would be no way to catch up with them in time on foot so we both made our way to the outskirts where Asami's car was parked.

"That was quick," Korra's fiancée said from the driver's seat with a portable radar in her hands. I hopped over the door and sat in back, leaning over to snatch the tablet from her and I pointed to a small cluster of movement heading west.

"We need to follow them! Hurry!"

The engine roared and we were soon speeding across the cracked dirt roads in pursuit of three green dots on the screen. To make sure that we wouldn't be noticed, Asami kept a constant pace behind the group of around two miles so that there was a smaller chance of us being seen in the vast open space of the desert.

"What's the rush?" The driver yelled over the fast winds. Korra was in the passenger side and leaned close so that she didn't need to speak quite as loud.

"We think they know where Evelyn is!" She shouted urgently as Asami raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"You mean she's in trouble?"

Korra nodded frantically but when she turned back to see ahead of us she gripped the handbrake and slowed the car enough to get Asami's attention to stop completely.

We reversed back and pulled behind a large cove so that we were hidden. Just as the car stopped, Korra and I hopped out and peered around to see what was going on.

Quite a while away were three four-wheel drives that had been abandoned in the middle of the desert. From this distance I couldn't tell what was happening and it didn't seem as though anyone was in or near the vehicles.

"Where'd they go?" Asami murmured from behind us whilst she strapped on her electrocuting glove.

Taking a step back, Korra forcefully stomped her foot down and stayed completely still as she registered what she could 'see' from her earthbending.

"They're gone," she said simply. "Only the trucks are left."

Where had they gone? It made no sense that eight people had magically vanished in the middle of nowhere without showing a trace. And a similar question could be asked about Evelyn. I hadn't had the chance to ask her about us. What if she really was trapped or in danger? Could I live with myself knowing that I let it happen?

I slumped down in the backseat as we drew closer to the village.

No. I wouldn't be able to look at myself again knowing that I had hurt her. I had known ever since the pillow incident that I couldn't let her be harmed no matter what the injury. My restraints were weak and even a little pull would break me free yet Evelyn had somehow managed to keep that side of me chained. I was grateful because I was honestly afraid that I wouldn't be able to keep myself together without her. I needed her.

But I was over thinking this, like earlier. There was a clear chance that our meeting had just been forgotten. She could be fine and I was here moping about as though she were dead. Without Evelyn I really was falling apart.

Who was I kidding? It had been two hours. She'll be being held up or busy with an inside job. Actually, she might have gone to the café and found us missing and gone back.

Either way, I was worried.

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Aww, poor Iroh's getting worried and upset that his Evelyn might be hurt XD

**REVIEW! (pretty please)**


	31. Chapter 31

I was panicked. I was worried. I was filled with any and every concerned emotion in my mind and it was all focused toward Evelyn. It had been two days and she still hadn't turned up to the village to meet with us and it was beginning to rack my nerves. Last night had been sleepless and the only though that had been on my mind was of the woman that was missing from my life.

Even in the week that she had been gone, it had been increasingly difficult to let her continue with her work without worrying but there were so many ways that she could be hurt.

Whether it is emotionally or physically, there wasn't a single person that would get away with harming Evelyn and I wouldn't forgive myself if anyone managed to do so without paying the price.

It was yet another day that was being spent waiting in the colonial villages for Evelyn and hoping that she would turn up at some point. I had made it a mission that if she wasn't there by the end of the day, then I would go out and find her myself.

It didn't matter if I needed to storm through the temple itself to find her or trace her footsteps all over the world- in the end she would be back with me.

None of it made sense. There was no reason for her to just ignore a date and I had expected her to at least activate her tracker so that we knew she was alright. Unless an event had kept her behind, she would have met up with us again by now. For every minute that we were apart my anxiety increased and there wasn't anything that I could do to stop it.

"Are you ready to go?" Korra asked tiredly as she rose from her seat. "We've been sitting here for three hours and Asami is still waiting outside."

I nodded glumly and walked out with her but we were soon stopped when three of the men from the other day walked past us to enter the café. I hushed the Avatar and pinned myself to the wall by the door to eavesdrop on the upcoming conversation.

"Did you get it done?" One man asked as his builder boots stomped across the floorboards.

"I did, so just take the bottles and leave!" The store owner hissed at the men and the sound of clinking glasses rattled around the two.

No other noises were heard until the clinking continued and grew louder as more footsteps creaked towards the door. I dragged Korra away from her hiding spot and dashed with her arm in my hand into an alley where we waited for the men to leave.

"What was that all about?" She said, her voice muffled by my other hand. "You still think that they have Evelyn?"

I nodded and leered over the corner to watch the men load into a single truck. "I have no doubt that they're headed to where we lost them the other day." Letting go of Korra, I marched out of the alley and made my way over to where Asami's car was parked after checking to see if the way was clear.

"Did you see them?" I asked her with urgency. Asami nodded and pointed over to where they seemed to be going.

"They're headed east again and if we hurry then we should get there just in time."

Once again we clambered into the car and drove off over the dirt paths and sandy roads. The wind dragged sand and gravel through the air and the particles that had been kicked up by the trucks were still airborne and smacking into our faces as we gained speed.

Fixing her goggles with one hand and keeping a tight grip on the steering wheel with the other, Asami put her foot down on the accelerator and changed gear so that we could speed off at an even faster rate.

This time, we didn't care if they saw us.

About fourteen miles later we arrived in a clearing that the car was parked at. Luckily for us, we had arrived just in time to see our targets hop out of the back and land on the sand as the air began to settle.

The men turned to face us which meant that they had known we were following them and they each stepped forward to face us.

"What do you want?" The middle man yelled from about eight metres away. His black hair was slicked back but the wind knocked around loose strands that sat out of perfection.

"We're looking for someone!" I shouted back and Korra continued my explanation:

"And we were wondering if you've seen her!"

They looked at each other uncomfortably after listening to our excuse and backed towards their vehicle.

"We can't help you," another one of them said as the rest of us climbed out of the car to stand face to face to our opponents.

"Oh but I think you can," Asami smirked as she activated her glove which emitted sparks and whips of electricity.

Following her lead, I burst my fists in flames and stepped forward as Korra did the same. All three of us prepared for what was to come and our company did the same, but much more timidly, as they didn't exactly know what was about to be happening.

"We'll ask you again," Korra walked out in front of us with a menacing tone of voice as she addressed the cowardly men. "Where. Is. She?"

Trembling in his boots, the smallest man shook his head and took a deep breath. "GO AWAY!" He roared as he charged clumsily toward us with his baton held high above his head. Ignoring his outburst, the others remained calm and collected as the small man flailed onwards.

Without giving it much thought, Korra shifted the earth beneath his feet which took away his balance and walked over to where he was face first in the dirt.

She picked him up by the scruff of his neck and held him high for everyone to see. "It would be a good idea to give us some answers before your friend here gets pummelled!"

I saw the slight flinch that the men produced but neither lowered their stances or spoke a word. Korra lifted her hostage close to her face and shrugged. She lifted her elbow up and, just before she knocked him out, he tried to retaliate. Frowning, Korra grew serious, "Bad move."

Thrown to the floor in a messy heap, one of the three men were out for the count, which left the two stubborn guys in front of us to deal with. But it was two to three, and I liked those odds.

We circled our way towards them and Asami made the first move by shocking the ground by their feet to get them to move about. Once they were moving, I had the chance to strike.

Throwing balls of flames, I struck out to hit them on the lesser vital parts of their bodies. Although they thought we were here for their lives, we still needed to question them about Evelyn and find out how they were disappearing from the middle of nowhere.

Our enemy ducked and dodged the streams of fire and rock that were being sent for them and also delivered a few of their own attacks that were easy enough to roll away from. Kicks and punches were thrown and after a couple minutes of continuous movement, our opponents were tired and weak. They may not have been injured but the state they were in meant that the three of us could finally get some answers.

I marched over to one of the men panting for breath and simply hit his arm out of the way when he tried to throw a punch. I wrapped my fingers around his throat and squeezed as I straightened him up.

"Now, unless you decide to end up like your friend over there," I moved so that he could see the unconscious form lying in the sand. "Then I would suggest answering some questions."

He clawed at my hand and managed a weak nod. I released him and the sudden gasps for air were no surprise as he took a break to catch his breath. Asami grabbed his accomplice and handed him to Korra who was more than happy to encase him in a prison of rock whilst we spoke to the man that I currently had.

"Where's the girl?"

"What girl?"

I punched his gut which made him double over again and gave him plenty of time to rethink his answer.

"She's in the base!" He rasped with a sore throat and started to cough.

"And where is this 'base'?" Asami added as she walked over whilst deactivating her glove.

"It's-" he looked up at me and, to prevent any dishonest answers, I scowled murderously. "-It's here."

"What do you mean?" I shouted at him as I grabbed his shirt. "There's _nothing _here!"

He whimpered down and limply raised a hand that pointed to a slight hill a couple metres away.

Not needing any more answers, I dropped the man and swiftly kicked the back of his head to knock him out. Korra did the same to the other guy after releasing him from the rock prison and we all walked over to where the entrance of this 'base' was deemed to be.

I took one look at Korra and I instantly knew that she had no clue what was here. Even with her heightened abilities she couldn't see the entrance and since the men were now lying unconscious on the floor- we were screwed.

"Are you _sure_ that you can't find a way in?" Asami checked, circling the area once for a clue.

"Yes I'm _sure_," Korra sassed back and waved her arms about impatiently. "Iroh, you got anything?"

I shook my head and jogged over to where the men still stayed and leant down to rummage through their pockets. The other two seemed to catch on and joined me on my search for something of interest.

"I got nothing," Asami mumbled as she stood and wiped her jeans of sand. I did the same but we both paused hen Korra didn't answer and instead looked intently at an object in her hands.

"What is that?" I asked as we walked over to her. As we drew nearer, I could see the glint of glass and a slight tinge of blue in her palms.

"Just water?" Asami tried to comprehend but none of this made sense. Without answering either of us, Korra just turned the bottle around in her hands a few times before she finally stood up.

"It's Spirit water," she grumbled under her breath and then proceeded to bend the water from the bottle. "They shouldn't have this."

She smashed the glass on the sand and spun the water around in a loop as she walked over to the small hill.

"Only healers have a use for this." She poured the water onto the sand mound and stepped back as it started to glow white before fading into a dull grey. Not only did she reveal a door, but she also made the spirit water unusable. The Avatar was remarkable.

Before we opened the newly revealed doors, Korra stopped and turned to us.

"Be prepared- sometimes this stuff can enhance bending abilities. They must've gathered that water from somewhere nearby since there's no other way they could've got it."

After her little warning I was left with multiple things running through my mind:

I knew for a fact that Evelyn had used spirit water to heal me on the ship yet she wasn't anywhere near a portal which meant that there was nowhere that she could have gotten it from. What raised a question was that she somehow managed to _create_ the water so what was stopping from others doing the same?

"Is it possible to make it?" I said in curiosity. If I could, I would have asked Evelyn herself but she was still the person we were busy searching for. The next best person to talk to would be none other than the Avatar.

"I've never heard about that happening before, why?"

"It's just that Evelyn-"

_But they don't know about that!_

"Evelyn- what?" Asami asked slowly as though I was about to bite her.

"What are you not telling us, Iroh?"

It wouldn't hurt to mention it just to get it out of the way. There was no way out of this situation and by telling the group then they would be better off knowing what she's going through. Plus, I thought that they were probably still confused as to _how_ Aang and the others had managed to fuse with her. It wasn't everyday that a second Avatar appeared and the original would more than likely want to know how it was possible.

"Evelyn made spirit water once," I stepped away from the door when I mentioned that and they both stood back with me. "She's special."

"What do you mean?"

"She's part spirit." I shrugged, "it's how she managed to meet Aang and gain the power that she has."

The two of them nodded in understanding but I could tell that they didn't quite realise what that all meant in the long run.

"Well then!" Korra stretched and touched her toes. "That just means we have to go and grab the girl to ask her a hundred and one questions! Come on!"

I smiled at how accepting they were and joined them as we opened the platinum doors to the underground base.

Immediately, we saw the two people standing either side of the door and we pinned them to the wall and covered their mouths.

"Tell us where the girl is and we'll let you go," I hissed at my guard and he shakily nodded his head. Without saying a word, he pointed over to the corridor on the right and slumped to the ground once I let him go.

On average, we had around eight minutes before back up was called. From what it looked like, the guards had radios but they wouldn't get a good signal from their post so they would need to leave before they could talk to someone. Even after that, though, they still wouldn't know exactly where we were. If we were quick enough, we would be able to evade most of the enemy.

The three of us padded down the hall and soon had to stop and peer around a corner to make sure that no one was coming.

"We're going to need to split up," I whispered as I pressed myself closer to the wall. "Korra takes this floor. Asami, you take the upper level and I'll check out the lower one." I pointed in the directions that they should go and they each nodded in understanding. "After thirty minutes, we'll meet outside."

It was all part of a strategy and I would need to plan out each of my moves so that we could locate Evelyn as quickly and effectively as possible. From my knowledge, Asami would be safer on the higher floors because she can cut off lower access once it's clear. It also means that she'll only have to face minimal threats with her gloves. For Korra, she could keep to this floor because it would only help both me and Asami from gaining unwanted backup from anywhere else.

All that was left was me. I was more than willing to take on the basement because that was the most secure place in the entire building. In theory, that would be the most ideal area to hold a prisoner because their chances of escape decrease greatly.

Once I found that my path was clear of guards, I dashed down and located an elevator at the end of the hall. I positioned myself inside and knew that the moment I pressed the button, people would swarm to find out who was working outside of their patrols. I would need to wait until Korra and Asami would be in place before continuing with my side of the plan.

With slight hesitation, I began my descent and waited for the rackety metal case to reach the floor below before transitioning into a stance. The thick scent of sanitation and disinfectant swarmed my senses as the doors opened and revealed the sterile and plainly white room. Windowless and covered in small, bright lights, the space glowed with a sinister cleanliness and I feared that just by breathing I would compromise the effort put into making it so empty.

Looking around for a door that would lead further down, I noticed the small black cylinders placed in almost every corner of the room. Circling to check that they were, indeed cameras, I made a note to myself to move on as fast as possible. It was clear that down here the security would be much tighter than the other floors and there was a chance that there were already people witnessing my arrival.

I jogged onwards to the metal door that was bolted closed on the other side with a digital keypad propped up on the wall next to it. I guessed it didn't really matter now that they knew I was, so I just went ahead and used my bending to sear the metal acting as a lock. Once both sides were melted through, I forcefully kicked the opening wide which pushed the entire door off of its hinges and onto the floor.

The group of men and women on the other side must've been preparing for my entrance as they started throwing all different elements in my direction to stop the intrusion.

I ducked back into the previous room and took cover behind the nearest wall. Using short and precise shots, I aimed for my attacker's hands and feet to prevent their moves from gaining power and accuracy. I continued to shoot bursts of flames at them whenever they took a gap in their attacks and used the milliseconds that I had to roll over to the other wall. Once there, I was able to have a better view on my opponents so I could dispatch them much easier. After a couple more shots and close calls, I had defeated the team pitted against me and they all laid in agony on the cold tile flooring. Chunks of brick and floating dust smothered the next room and compared to the entrance, it looked like a bomb site.

But for every minute that I spent analysing a room, Evelyn could be in serious danger or harm. The faster that I was able to get to her, the better; I needed to ensure her safety.

I couldn't lose her.

Picking up a faster pace, I sprinted to the other side of the room and found a thicker, more sinister looking door that had an open lock on the outside and a slot at the bottom which would probably be used for delivering food to a prisoner: this was it.

I knew the moment that I stepped over the last groaning guard that whoever was inside was prepared for what was coming.

With a fierce determination and a slight burn of irritation in his eyes, a lanky man stormed out of the cell and stomped his way towards me with a gun in each hand. Without a second though, I completely obliterated the man and he mustn't have realised that I wasn't here for a fight- I was here for Evelyn. In my opinion, these were the people separating me from the person I loved and there was nothing that I would do to let them get in my way.

I crashed into the prison cell and took no notice of the room's state. Instead, I locked my gaze on the two buff men that were obviously hiding something or some_one_ behind their backs.

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***Evelyn POV***

I was seeing blotches of colour and the lights screamed at me to close my eyes. Pains were shooting up every inch of my body and every pound of my heart was telling me to give up. These past hours had been the worse. Punching, kicking, whipping, cutting, snapping and tearing were just a few words to describe what they had done to my body the past- well- I don't know how long.

It felt as though I had been here weeks, months, _years._ Every second felt like an eternity and the only people I seemed to remember where the same ones that had beaten me every time I flinched.

"Go and see what's going on out there!" Ray yelled to the quieter man. I no longer reacted to his bellows and the idea of him harming me didn't seem quite as bad as it had before- with each hit I was one step closer to the peaceful embrace of death.

All that I knew was that there was Ray, Ryan and _him._

_He_ was the one that they had just sent out of the room. I don't know what lay beyond the walls or what could have been happening, but I didn't have the strength to ever find out for myself. I was weak and helpless and lonely and desperate. I wanted another way out that didn't involve death but no matter how I looked at the situation- it seemed inevitable.

Through the haze of my half-closed lids, I watched weakly as the man marched out of the room and opened the steel door that I had never seen open before. Almost every waking moment of my day was filled with sorrow and lashings so there was never a moment that my capturers needed to leave. They just decided to wait until I collapsed to end their shift and I was expecting that their daily hours were about to be over…

Thuds and yells were heard through the thick brick and they seemed to magnify in my head alongside the constant ringing that I had grown accustomed to. More screams and shouts echoed and suddenly the war on the other side stopped.

In worry and precaution, Ryan and Ray both positioned themselves protectively in front of me which seemed rather odd considering their only joy of the day was beating me senseless.

**"Looks like you might survive after all."**

Ah, the mighty dragon. He offered words of pure nonsense to me during my times awake and spoke of "escaping," and "the will to live." I just chose to ignore him. Like Ryan said, what sane person can see a dragon?

From what I could see past the two men, the cell door burst open once more and although the light was blinding, I didn't even have enough energy to close my eyes. Suddenly, the white light calmed and a shadowed figure stood menacingly in the doorway. If I had the strength, I would have wiped the blood from my brow and removed the hair that stuck to my sweat soaked head to get a better look as to who had been the victor. The only words spoken in the deadly silence were the blood thirsty growls coming from the stranger.

"Where is she?"

* * *

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	32. Chapter 32

I was panicked. I was worried. I was filled with any and every concerned emotion in my mind and it was all focused toward Evelyn. It had been two days and she still hadn't turned up to the village to meet with us and it was beginning to rack my nerves. Last night had been sleepless and the only though that had been on my mind was of the woman that was missing from my life.

Even in the week that she had been gone, it had been increasingly difficult to let her continue with her work without worrying but there were so many ways that she could be hurt.

Whether it is emotionally or physically, there wasn't a single person that would get away with harming Evelyn and I wouldn't forgive myself if anyone managed to do so without paying the price.

It was yet another day that was being spent waiting in the colonial villages for Evelyn and hoping that she would turn up at some point. I had made it a mission that if she wasn't there by the end of the day, then I would go out and find her myself.

It didn't matter if I needed to storm through the temple itself to find her or trace her footsteps all over the world- in the end she would be back with me.

None of it made sense. There was no reason for her to just ignore a date and I had expected her to at least activate her tracker so that we knew she was alright. Unless an event had kept her behind, she would have met up with us again by now. For every minute that we were apart my anxiety increased and there wasn't anything that I could do to stop it.

"Are you ready to go?" Korra asked tiredly as she rose from her seat. "We've been sitting here for three hours and Asami is still waiting outside."

I nodded glumly and walked out with her but we were soon stopped when three of the men from the other day walked past us to enter the café. I hushed the Avatar and pinned myself to the wall by the door to eavesdrop on the upcoming conversation.

"Did you get it done?" One man asked as his builder boots stomped across the floorboards.

"I did, so just take the bottles and leave!" The store owner hissed at the men and the sound of clinking glasses rattled around the two.

No other noises were heard until the clinking continued and grew louder as more footsteps creaked towards the door. I dragged Korra away from her hiding spot and dashed with her arm in my hand into an alley where we waited for the men to leave.

"What was that all about?" She said, her voice muffled by my other hand. "You still think that they have Evelyn?"

I nodded and leered over the corner to watch the men load into a single truck. "I have no doubt that they're headed to where we lost them the other day." Letting go of Korra, I marched out of the alley and made my way over to where Asami's car was parked after checking to see if the way was clear.

"Did you see them?" I asked her with urgency. Asami nodded and pointed over to where they seemed to be going.

"They're headed east again and if we hurry then we should get there just in time."

Once again we clambered into the car and drove off over the dirt paths and sandy roads. The wind dragged sand and gravel through the air and the particles that had been kicked up by the trucks were still airborne and smacking into our faces as we gained speed.

Fixing her goggles with one hand and keeping a tight grip on the steering wheel with the other, Asami put her foot down on the accelerator and changed gear so that we could speed off at an even faster rate.

This time, we didn't care if they saw us.

About fourteen miles later we arrived in a clearing that the car was parked at. Luckily for us, we had arrived just in time to see our targets hop out of the back and land on the sand as the air began to settle.

The men turned to face us which meant that they had known we were following them and they each stepped forward to face us.

"What do you want?" The middle man yelled from about eight metres away. His black hair was slicked back but the wind knocked around loose strands that sat out of perfection.

"We're looking for someone!" I shouted back and Korra continued my explanation:

"And we were wondering if you've seen her!"

They looked at each other uncomfortably after listening to our excuse and backed towards their vehicle.

"We can't help you," another one of them said as the rest of us climbed out of the car to stand face to face to our opponents.

"Oh but I think you can," Asami smirked as she activated her glove which emitted sparks and whips of electricity.

Following her lead, I burst my fists in flames and stepped forward as Korra did the same. All three of us prepared for what was to come and our company did the same, but much more timidly, as they didn't exactly know what was about to be happening.

"We'll ask you again," Korra walked out in front of us with a menacing tone of voice as she addressed the cowardly men. "Where. Is. She?"

Trembling in his boots, the smallest man shook his head and took a deep breath. "GO AWAY!" He roared as he charged clumsily toward us with his baton held high above his head. Ignoring his outburst, the others remained calm and collected as the small man flailed onwards.

Without giving it much thought, Korra shifted the earth beneath his feet which took away his balance and walked over to where he was face first in the dirt.

She picked him up by the scruff of his neck and held him high for everyone to see. "It would be a good idea to give us some answers before your friend here gets pummelled!"

I saw the slight flinch that the men produced but neither lowered their stances or spoke a word. Korra lifted her hostage close to her face and shrugged. She lifted her elbow up and, just before she knocked him out, he tried to retaliate. Frowning, Korra grew serious, "Bad move."

Thrown to the floor in a messy heap, one of the three men were out for the count, which left the two stubborn guys in front of us to deal with. But it was two to three, and I liked those odds.

We circled our way towards them and Asami made the first move by shocking the ground by their feet to get them to move about. Once they were moving, I had the chance to strike.

Throwing balls of flames, I struck out to hit them on the lesser vital parts of their bodies. Although they thought we were here for their lives, we still needed to question them about Evelyn and find out how they were disappearing from the middle of nowhere.

Our enemy ducked and dodged the streams of fire and rock that were being sent for them and also delivered a few of their own attacks that were easy enough to roll away from. Kicks and punches were thrown and after a couple minutes of continuous movement, our opponents were tired and weak. They may not have been injured but the state they were in meant that the three of us could finally get some answers.

I marched over to one of the men panting for breath and simply hit his arm out of the way when he tried to throw a punch. I wrapped my fingers around his throat and squeezed as I straightened him up.

"Now, unless you decide to end up like your friend over there," I moved so that he could see the unconscious form lying in the sand. "Then I would suggest answering some questions."

He clawed at my hand and managed a weak nod. I released him and the sudden gasps for air were no surprise as he took a break to catch his breath. Asami grabbed his accomplice and handed him to Korra who was more than happy to encase him in a prison of rock whilst we spoke to the man that I currently had.

"Where's the girl?"

"What girl?"

I punched his gut which made him double over again and gave him plenty of time to rethink his answer.

"She's in the base!" He rasped with a sore throat and started to cough.

"And where is this 'base'?" Asami added as she walked over whilst deactivating her glove.

"It's-" he looked up at me and, to prevent any dishonest answers, I scowled murderously. "-It's here."

"What do you mean?" I shouted at him as I grabbed his shirt. "There's _nothing _here!"

He whimpered down and limply raised a hand that pointed to a slight hill a couple metres away.

Not needing any more answers, I dropped the man and swiftly kicked the back of his head to knock him out. Korra did the same to the other guy after releasing him from the rock prison and we all walked over to where the entrance of this 'base' was deemed to be.

I took one look at Korra and I instantly knew that she had no clue what was here. Even with her heightened abilities she couldn't see the entrance and since the men were now lying unconscious on the floor- we were screwed.

"Are you _sure_ that you can't find a way in?" Asami checked, circling the area once for a clue.

"Yes I'm _sure_," Korra sassed back and waved her arms about impatiently. "Iroh, you got anything?"

I shook my head and jogged over to where the men still stayed and leant down to rummage through their pockets. The other two seemed to catch on and joined me on my search for something of interest.

"I got nothing," Asami mumbled as she stood and wiped her jeans of sand. I did the same but we both paused hen Korra didn't answer and instead looked intently at an object in her hands.

"What is that?" I asked as we walked over to her. As we drew nearer, I could see the glint of glass and a slight tinge of blue in her palms.

"Just water?" Asami tried to comprehend but none of this made sense. Without answering either of us, Korra just turned the bottle around in her hands a few times before she finally stood up.

"It's Spirit water," she grumbled under her breath and then proceeded to bend the water from the bottle. "They shouldn't have this."

She smashed the glass on the sand and spun the water around in a loop as she walked over to the small hill.

"Only healers have a use for this." She poured the water onto the sand mound and stepped back as it started to glow white before fading into a dull grey. Not only did she reveal a door, but she also made the spirit water unusable. The Avatar was remarkable.

Before we opened the newly revealed doors, Korra stopped and turned to us.

"Be prepared- sometimes this stuff can enhance bending abilities. They must've gathered that water from somewhere nearby since there's no other way they could've got it."

After her little warning I was left with multiple things running through my mind:

I knew for a fact that Evelyn had used spirit water to heal me on the ship yet she wasn't anywhere near a portal which meant that there was nowhere that she could have gotten it from. What raised a question was that she somehow managed to _create_ the water so what was stopping from others doing the same?

"Is it possible to make it?" I said in curiosity. If I could, I would have asked Evelyn herself but she was still the person we were busy searching for. The next best person to talk to would be none other than the Avatar.

"I've never heard about that happening before, why?"

"It's just that Evelyn-"

_But they don't know about that!_

"Evelyn- what?" Asami asked slowly as though I was about to bite her.

"What are you not telling us, Iroh?"

It wouldn't hurt to mention it just to get it out of the way. There was no way out of this situation and by telling the group then they would be better off knowing what she's going through. Plus, I thought that they were probably still confused as to _how_ Aang and the others had managed to fuse with her. It wasn't everyday that a second Avatar appeared and the original would more than likely want to know how it was possible.

"Evelyn made spirit water once," I stepped away from the door when I mentioned that and they both stood back with me. "She's special."

"What do you mean?"

"She's part spirit." I shrugged, "it's how she managed to meet Aang and gain the power that she has."

The two of them nodded in understanding but I could tell that they didn't quite realise what that all meant in the long run.

"Well then!" Korra stretched and touched her toes. "That just means we have to go and grab the girl to ask her a hundred and one questions! Come on!"

I smiled at how accepting they were and joined them as we opened the platinum doors to the underground base.

Immediately, we saw the two people standing either side of the door and we pinned them to the wall and covered their mouths.

"Tell us where the girl is and we'll let you go," I hissed at my guard and he shakily nodded his head. Without saying a word, he pointed over to the corridor on the right and slumped to the ground once I let him go.

On average, we had around eight minutes before back up was called. From what it looked like, the guards had radios but they wouldn't get a good signal from their post so they would need to leave before they could talk to someone. Even after that, though, they still wouldn't know exactly where we were. If we were quick enough, we would be able to evade most of the enemy.

The three of us padded down the hall and soon had to stop and peer around a corner to make sure that no one was coming.

"We're going to need to split up," I whispered as I pressed myself closer to the wall. "Korra takes this floor. Asami, you take the upper level and I'll check out the lower one." I pointed in the directions that they should go and they each nodded in understanding. "After thirty minutes, we'll meet outside."

It was all part of a strategy and I would need to plan out each of my moves so that we could locate Evelyn as quickly and effectively as possible. From my knowledge, Asami would be safer on the higher floors because she can cut off lower access once it's clear. It also means that she'll only have to face minimal threats with her gloves. For Korra, she could keep to this floor because it would only help both me and Asami from gaining unwanted backup from anywhere else.

All that was left was me. I was more than willing to take on the basement because that was the most secure place in the entire building. In theory, that would be the most ideal area to hold a prisoner because their chances of escape decrease greatly.

Once I found that my path was clear of guards, I dashed down and located an elevator at the end of the hall. I positioned myself inside and knew that the moment I pressed the button, people would swarm to find out who was working outside of their patrols. I would need to wait until Korra and Asami would be in place before continuing with my side of the plan.

With slight hesitation, I began my descent and waited for the rackety metal case to reach the floor below before transitioning into a stance. The thick scent of sanitation and disinfectant swarmed my senses as the doors opened and revealed the sterile and plainly white room. Windowless and covered in small, bright lights, the space glowed with a sinister cleanliness and I feared that just by breathing I would compromise the effort put into making it so empty.

Looking around for a door that would lead further down, I noticed the small black cylinders placed in almost every corner of the room. Circling to check that they were, indeed cameras, I made a note to myself to move on as fast as possible. It was clear that down here the security would be much tighter than the other floors and there was a chance that there were already people witnessing my arrival.

I jogged onwards to the metal door that was bolted closed on the other side with a digital keypad propped up on the wall next to it. I guessed it didn't really matter now that they knew I was, so I just went ahead and used my bending to sear the metal acting as a lock. Once both sides were melted through, I forcefully kicked the opening wide which pushed the entire door off of its hinges and onto the floor.

The group of men and women on the other side must've been preparing for my entrance as they started throwing all different elements in my direction to stop the intrusion.

I ducked back into the previous room and took cover behind the nearest wall. Using short and precise shots, I aimed for my attacker's hands and feet to prevent their moves from gaining power and accuracy. I continued to shoot bursts of flames at them whenever they took a gap in their attacks and used the milliseconds that I had to roll over to the other wall. Once there, I was able to have a better view on my opponents so I could dispatch them much easier. After a couple more shots and close calls, I had defeated the team pitted against me and they all laid in agony on the cold tile flooring. Chunks of brick and floating dust smothered the next room and compared to the entrance, it looked like a bomb site.

But for every minute that I spent analysing a room, Evelyn could be in serious danger or harm. The faster that I was able to get to her, the better; I needed to ensure her safety.

I couldn't lose her.

Picking up a faster pace, I sprinted to the other side of the room and found a thicker, more sinister looking door that had an open lock on the outside and a slot at the bottom which would probably be used for delivering food to a prisoner: this was it.

I knew the moment that I stepped over the last groaning guard that whoever was inside was prepared for what was coming.

With a fierce determination and a slight burn of irritation in his eyes, a lanky man stormed out of the cell and stomped his way towards me with a gun in each hand. Without a second though, I completely obliterated the man and he mustn't have realised that I wasn't here for a fight- I was here for Evelyn. In my opinion, these were the people separating me from the person I loved and there was nothing that I would do to let them get in my way.

I crashed into the prison cell and took no notice of the room's state. Instead, I locked my gaze on the two buff men that were obviously hiding something or some_one_ behind their backs.

* * *

***Evelyn POV***

I was seeing blotches of colour and the lights screamed at me to close my eyes. Pains were shooting up every inch of my body and every pound of my heart was telling me to give up. These past hours had been the worse. Punching, kicking, whipping, cutting, snapping and tearing were just a few words to describe what they had done to my body the past- well- I don't know how long.

It felt as though I had been here weeks, months, _years._ Every second felt like an eternity and the only people I seemed to remember where the same ones that had beaten me every time I flinched.

"Go and see what's going on out there!" Ray yelled to the quieter man. I no longer reacted to his bellows and the idea of him harming me didn't seem quite as bad as it had before- with each hit I was one step closer to the peaceful embrace of death.

All that I knew was that there was Ray, Ryan and _him._

_He_ was the one that they had just sent out of the room. I don't know what lay beyond the walls or what could have been happening, but I didn't have the strength to ever find out for myself. I was weak and helpless and lonely and desperate. I wanted another way out that didn't involve death but no matter how I looked at the situation- it seemed inevitable.

Through the haze of my half-closed lids, I watched weakly as the man marched out of the room and opened the steel door that I had never seen open before. Almost every waking moment of my day was filled with sorrow and lashings so there was never a moment that my capturers needed to leave. They just decided to wait until I collapsed to end their shift and I was expecting that their daily hours were about to be over…

Thuds and yells were heard through the thick brick and they seemed to magnify in my head alongside the constant ringing that I had grown accustomed to. More screams and shouts echoed and suddenly the war on the other side stopped.

In worry and precaution, Ryan and Ray both positioned themselves protectively in front of me which seemed rather odd considering their only joy of the day was beating me senseless.

**"Looks like you might survive after all."**

Ah, the mighty dragon. He offered words of pure nonsense to me during my times awake and spoke of "escaping," and "the will to live." I just chose to ignore him. Like Ryan said, what sane person can see a dragon?

From what I could see past the two men, the cell door burst open once more and although the light was blinding, I didn't even have enough energy to close my eyes. Suddenly, the white light calmed and a shadowed figure stood menacingly in the doorway. If I had the strength, I would have wiped the blood from my brow and removed the hair that stuck to my sweat soaked head to get a better look as to who had been the victor. The only words spoken in the deadly silence were the blood thirsty growls coming from the stranger.

"Where is she?"

* * *

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	33. Chapter 33

_From what I could see past the two men, the cell door burst open once more and although the light was blinding, I didn't even have enough energy to close my eyes. Suddenly, the white light calmed and a shadowed figure stood menacingly in the doorway. If I had the strength, I would have wiped the blood from my brow and removed the hair that stuck to my sweat soaked head to get a better look as to who had been the victor. The only words spoken in the deadly silence were the blood thirsty growls coming from the stranger._

_"Where is she?"_

* * *

***Iroh POV***

I stepped threateningly close to the two men when they didn't reply and they then responded to my closeness with hesitance.

"I said- Where. Is. She?" I said through gritted teeth at their silent forms.

The larger of the two smirked slightly and side stepped so that I had a perfectly good look at the bloody and bruised body that lay limp and broken in a metal chair. Her hair was matted and filled with dried red flakes that spread down onto her face. I couldn't tell whether she was looking at me or if she was unconscious and I begged that she wasn't awake to witness what I was about to do to these two men.

"I'd hardly call it a _she_," the other man chuckled darkly as he tensed slightly and grounded himself for an attack.

Looking at Evelyn's ripped gown and tear stained face I could feel the anger burning up inside of me. With each droplet of blood and every purpled bruise, they had only added to the fire that threatened to escape and I knew that I was about to lose control. I was ready to step over the line to release whatever temper had been bottled up over the years and these _bastards_ were going to be in the firing zone.

"If you still want it, you're welcome to take it," the same man spat over to Evelyn without even giving his words a second thought. I looked at them both without showing my disbelief and they each lowered their stances as they stepped further away from the girl.

I glowered at him and cautiously walked over to the metal chair that she was strapped to. Just before I leant over to break her bonds, I leered over to make sure that the others were still keeping their distance.

"Go on," he nodded and grinned back to the chair. "We've had our fun."

I burnt through her wrist ties, carefully avoiding her hands and made sure that she wouldn't be burned before picking her up bridal- style in my arms. It had only been five days since we last met but she was already lighter and it did little to calm the storm raging in my mind.

I walked past the two men who had backed up against the wall and refused to give eye contact as I marched out of the door with Evelyn draped limply across my arms.

"Don't worry about being gentle," the cocky man yelled, "she's no longer a screamer."

It was that small sentence that set me off. The idea of them torturing and hitting and kicking and hurting Evelyn was bad enough but then they go ahead and mention that they had _broken_ her enough to feel nothing. The visions of her screaming and trying to get away burned on my brain and it only made me feel all the more guilty.

I gently propped her against the wall in the following room and brushed some of the hair out of her face. "Back in a minute," I whispered into her ear before standing up again and turning towards the cell.

I added weight to my stride and burst through the door once more to see the two guys in the middle of a conversation. They abruptly stopped and looked over at me in slight shock.

Before either could react, I pinned the smaller man to the wall with my forearm and lifted it slightly so I cut off his windpipe.

"If you even **think** for **one** minute that you can-" the other man got up to attack but I kicked his chest and lit my free fist on fire. "-that you can lay a finger on my girl and get away with it-" The larger man got back up and interrupted my rant once more. **"STAY DOWN**!"

I shot a ball of flames to land by the side of his head to show that I wasn't joking around and focused back on the man who was clawing at my arm, my anger ten times as strong as before.

_You know what? Fuck it._

I let go of the first guy and he crouched down to regain his breath. Before he could stand again, I landed a heavy hit with my elbow to his temple which knocked him out immediately.

_One down, one to go._

The burly man dressed in black smirked once more as he took a light stance and held up both his hands. A swirl of air formed high above me but I was in no mood to mess around here. I needed to leave to help Evelyn regain her strength and the longer I stalled whilst fighting, the more danger was placed on the barely conscious girl outside.

Wasting little time, I leapt into the air and burst my fists into hot red flames which soon enveloped the entirety of my arms. On my descent, I heaved my body towards him and released even more power to limit his chance to attack back. He fought against me valiantly but wasn't able to squirm out of my range.

How wrong I was.

He quickly slashed his arms around each other and the swirl of air grew in size and cast a sinister aura over the entire room. Suddenly, as though every moment in time slowed down, my breath was caught in my throat and threatened to escape my lungs. The emptying feeling grew and all of the oxygen in my body was being drawn out. An orb of wispy white circled my head and the lack of energy caused the bright flames to die down as I gasped and clawed at my throat for air.

The sensation soon slowed but continued as the air bender stomped towards me and leaned close enough to my face so that I could hear him over the winds.

"Don't underestimate me," he grinned.

A new sense of power, anger and hatred surged through me and the hands trying to grab the ball of air grew hot and burning: Those were Evelyn's words.

I seared a hole in the orb which disrupted the attack and allowed myself to take a deep breath. I collapsed on to the floor but caught myself during the fall and glared evilly at the man.

I punched his jaw forcefully and kicked at his stomach. Once he doubled over I was able to swipe his legs from under him and knock him to the ground. Gaining confidence, I dragged him up by the collar of his shirt and pulled him close to my face.

"Who do you work for?" I growled at him.

He started to laugh and the bloody grin that he gave would have made me shiver if I hadn't seen thousands like it before.

"You'll never find him," he chuckled darkly and spat out onto the filthy floor. "And even if you did, there's nothing left of him."

I grabbed a tighter hold of his shirt and picked him higher off of the ground. "You better tell me!"

"Our leader's dead." He just continued to cackle manically and shook his head whilst still in my grip. "Mortals can't defeat the Devil so I hope you enjoy the demon you're trying to save."

"Tell me one thing…" I scoffed to myself and let go of him as I stepped away with a dark frown on my face. "Did you enjoy it all?" I hissed lowly, now walking back closer with a switch in attitude. "Did you have fun?"

My fist twitched and sparked with electricity whilst the man nodded calmly and did little to scamper away. "I relished every second," he spat.

I lifted my hand and pointed it towards his chest as I allowed the blue energy to crawl its way down my arm.

"Then so will I."

Then, out of seemingly nowhere, a hunk of metal sliced through the air and impaled my hostage's chest. The stunned silence between the both of us was deafening and I instantly dropped my arms to calm the raging lightning that desperately wanted to escape. I turned to see who had interrupted my revenge.

To my surprise, the crack in the door revealed Evelyn completely drained of energy on the floor. A huge shard of metal was ripped from the railings above her and a limp hand lay outstretched by her side.

She had actually killed someone.

But I was about to.

I was left wondering the extent of what they had done to her to make her want to actually _kill_ one of her captures and I realised that she had gone through even more pain than I had here. If anyone should have the privilege of ending this situation, it should be her.

I walked out of the room to crouch beside her and brushed the dark hair matted with blood away from her closed eyes. Using a gentle thumb, I wiped the fresh tear that sat, clear, on a dirty cheek and planted a kiss on her bruised nose.

"You're safe now," I murmured in Evelyn's ear before picking her up.

Now that I had her I wasn't letting her go anywhere near another stranger that would cause harm so going to an upper floor probably wasn't going to be a good idea.

I wandered back into the middle room to find a way to get out without gaining any unwanted attention from anyone working further back on this floor. Just when I thought that I should just risk going up the lift, I spotted the chute that would be used to dispose of prisoner food waste.

_Disgusting but efficient._

I manoeuvred Evelyn so that she straddled my waist and had both arms draped around my neck with her head resting on my shoulder. Carefully, I sat on the edge of the slide and swung my legs over the side, trying to ignore the speckles of leftover rice and soup that would soon cover my uniform.

Heaving myself forward, I launched the both of us down the metal vent, past squashed potatoes and mouldy grime that had been left untouched for months.

As we reached the bottom, I changed our balance and caught the ground with my foot before we were launched far into the sewage room. I tightened my hold of Evelyn and took a keen look around the new surroundings.

I followed the small stream of dirty water that flowed nearby and found that it led to another, much larger room.

"Almost there," I whispered and stroked Evelyn's hair as I spotted a rock door slid shut on the other side of the large room.

The more I looked around, the more I noticed how unusual this place was; there were strange rock formations jutting out from the side walls and huge pipes that travelled all over the ceiling. Even with the odd surroundings, I was certain that this place was separate from the base I had just infiltrated.

"Who are you?" Someone yelled forcefully from behind me. I didn't turn around in fear of endangering Evelyn so I raised my head and held up one hand whilst the other held a firm grip on her back.

"A friend."

"Turn around!" The female voice rung out and I slowly twisted around so that she could see that there was someone else with me.

As I turned, I noticed that the woman shouting orders was a young earthbender with a group of people defending her from behind.

"Who is that?" A man now said with less determination. I tilted my head and hugged Evelyn to me tighter in case he wanted to take her away since I still didn't know if they were a threat.

As though realising something, both of the speakers widened their eyes and muttered something under their breath which caused the rest of them to murmur to one another. The leader stepped closer and looked at me with a scrutinising glare.

"Put. Her. Down," the woman gritted, as though trying to tame an animal. I stepped back and turned so that Evelyn was no longer in their vision.

"What do you want?" I hissed in her direction.

"We just want you to drop Evelyn and leave," the man went on to explain.

I paused my movements and stiffened slightly at the mention of her name.

"How do you know her?"

They also faltered in their steps and stopped to hear my question.

"She's a …friend," the man replied with caution, still not knowing who's side I was on.

"And how do I know you're not lying?" I said with a calm tone.

"How do we know _you're_ not lying?" The woman snapped back.

I took a deep breath and let my guard down. "Because what bad guy escapes with a hostage down a sewage pipe to get her to safety? If I wanted her dead then she would be."

Both speakers nodded and the man spoke up.

"Evelyn found us whilst exploring the temple," he began. "She thought that these tunnels might give her clues to the spirit totem."

"Now we have that sorted, I want to know what you're planning to _do_ with her," The woman pointed to the sleeping bundle wrapped around my front. I stroked Evelyn's hair and hugged her close.

"I need to take her back to the city."

"But she desperately needs medical help!" The man joined once more.

"Then you'll understand why I have to go," I urged, trying my best not to turn this encounter into a feud. "Evelyn was being held hostage in a building near here," I explained and the horrified expressions shown to me proved that these people must have genuinely known Evelyn. "I just need to get her somewhere safe and take her back with me."

They all nodded gravely and the mother rushed towards me at the mention of being held hostage. The little boy stayed huddled behind an older man as his parent checked up on the woman on my arms.

I allowed her to take a glimpse of Evelyn's face but didn't let her near enough to touch her. Seeing the bruising and redness, the elder lady gasped and looked at me in worry.

"Young man, you need to get her somewhere safe," she rushed and turned towards the others. "Skye, we need to get these two to the surface."

The girl, who seemed to be in deep thought, nodded solemnly.

"Will she make the journey?" One of the other men spoke up and I nodded with a determined expression.

"Korra can start to heal some of her injuries on the way there." I planted a kiss to the top of her head. "She won't die on me"

* * *

Skye, Arno and the gang are back in the picture!

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	34. Chapter 34

A white, bright light streamed through my eyelids as I crackly them gingerly open. The sound of a drumming beat pulsed painfully in my ears and it lasted for a couple of minutes until I registered that it was a heartbeat.

Something firm yet soft was pressed against one of my cheeks and once the lights dimmed I could faintly make out that I was in a familiar room. Wooden panels made up the walls and a blue cloth clung to my slightly damp forehead. I made an attempt to move but soon stopped once I felt the monstrous ache spread across my arms, legs and torso at the motion.

_What had happened?_

I turned my head to the side limply as I managed to gain sight of whatever I had missed.

Monitors with squiggling lines beeped at a continuous rate as a tube with flowing red liquid trailed over to where I still rested and I grew wary of the metallic objects so I turned to face the opposite direction.

Sitting in a chair with his legs sprawled in front of him was Iroh. He was furrowed up in the usual red uniform that was littered in scorched marks and scratches.

_What had we been through?_

I scanned past his tousled hair and calloused hands and my gaze landed on the spiral of blue energy curled around his feet with wings tucked beneath its sides.

_Why was he here?_

Raiden perked his head up at my sudden thoughts and nodded knowingly at me before slithering over to where I laid.

**"I'm glad to see you've made a recovery."** I ignored him and turned to face the other side once more. He stayed where he was and took my silence as a cue to continue. **"But you still need to protect it."**

"Why should I listen to you?" I hissed as I whipped around to face him. "You told me that I would die! That I had nothing to live for! You did nothing to help me and just sat back and watched them beat me to near death!" I coughed weakly from my little rant and broke our eye contact.

**"I did what I had to do to ensure your safety."**

"Safety?" I scoffed. "Then explain to me why I'm in a hospital bed!" My voice had grown louder and Iroh twitched in his seat so I quietened down to avoid him being awoken; he was probably exhausted.

**"If I hadn't said those things then you would have fought back," **he rumbled.

"And I would have been fi-"

**"DEAD!"** He boomed and rustled his wings irritably. **"They would have killed you instantly!"**

"And why would you care?"

**"Because our destinies collide."**

**"**You make it sound as though your staying..."

"**-And I shall. I will be your companion whether you agree or not. You need the support of another being that isn't from this world..."**

**"I am yours to command."**

* * *

"Iroh, Asami says you have to ea-" A tray was dropped and the metal clamoured down onto the tiled flooring. "WAKE UP!" Skye yelled and slapped the man straight across the cheek. She then rushed over to my side and squished both of my cheeks with one hand as she examined my face from left to right in disbelief that I was awake.

"Cood oo..leggoh" I ended up mumbling between my squashed lips. She quickly released my face and crossed her arms to pretend as though none of that 'caring' business had happened.

"Glad to see you're feeling better," she nodded coolly at me.

I looked up to see that Iroh was now standing up beside Skye with a shocked yet worried expression. He stepped wordlessly towards me and sat on the end of the bed. Reaching forward, he held my hand in his and gave a sad smile. "You're awake."

"You don't sound too happy about that," I teased but ended up coughing. He tightened his hold on me and shook his head.

"I'm glad," he smiled but it soon dropped. Skye took his previous seat and watched the two of us intently.

"What's wrong?"

"You were having nightmares," he explained. "I'm just relieved that you won't have to go through that for another entire day."

"Entire day?" How long was I out?"

"About a week," Skye added, "and Mr Stubborn over there wouldn't leave your side." She got up to leave and it suddenly occurred to me that she wasn't in the temple's basement where I had only ever seen her. "I'll go and tell the others that you're up and talking." She left before I had a chance to ask her about why she was here and I focused back to the General.

"Did you get them?" I asked, referring to Ray, Ryan and the other who had each enjoyed using me like a rag doll.

He nodded and moved to sit by my side. "Two of them were knocked out…" he stopped and stroked my hair away from my face.

"And the third?"

"…Was killed."

He didn't say much more which meant that he was keeping something from me and I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to know what it was. He continued to brush my hair in silence before suddenly placing a kiss on my forehead.

"I don't want you to go back to the navy with me," he sighed. "I can't lose you like that again."

"You didn't lose me," I reasoned. "You worry too much."

Scoffing and shaking his head, Iroh let go of me and stood up.

"Too much?" He turned to think for a bit and then suddenly snapped back around to me. "I almost **lost** you, Evelyn! When you didn't turn up to the meeting I..I just-"

I hung my head and it was then that I noticed just how much he must care for me. To be so concerned about me must've been exceedingly difficult to handle, especially when they couldn't keep constant track of me. Now that I thought about it, I should've activated the tracker once I found the cave. It was foolish of me to believe I could handle it on my own and I should have waited until I confided in my friends.

"I'm just glad we don't have to go back," I said with a sigh as I clutched his hand tighter. "Lucifer is dead too."

"I know," he stated simply with a deep breath. "One of the men told me what you did."

"Can we just forget about this, please? I just want to move on and be with _you_, not dawdling on the past."

He smiled sweetly and nodded. "Good idea."

* * *

I was taken on a train with Korra, Asami, Iroh and the group that I had met down underneath the temple.

Skye was being uncharacteristic with her kindness as she passed me fruit drinks and energy bars all throughout the day. Arno stayed just as quiet as usual but still wanted to help out by packing away everyone's luggage as I sat and talked about anything other than my capture.

"The wedding should take place in a month or two, depending on how quickly everything settles. I really hope you'll feel up to coming, Evelyn, we could use a colourful touch!" Asami ranted on about what she wanted in her wedding whilst Korra looked on at her in wonder and admiration.

"- Korra, what do you think?" She said whilst going on about colour schemes and flowers but Korra was too busy dazing that she was caught off guard.

"I just like whatever you want, as long as you're happy."

The two of them started smiling at one another and I felt seriously uncomfortable sitting in the carriage with them.

"I'm gonna go and grab a smoothie," I said, but went unnoticed as I quickly left.

I turned back and looked at the scene of people who I could happily call friends as they all cheered and laughed with one another. I watched in awe as Asami and Korra shared glances and kisses to one another whilst Skye and Arno had a casual chat by the window. The others all joined in on a large debate about the best food and I managed to catch Iroh's eye.

As I stared into his eyes from the doorway, he stood and met up with me.

"What do we do now?" I sighed as he hugged me from behind and laid his chin on my head.

"We stick together."

* * *

The end :)


	35. Chapter 35

I know that most people viewing this are just going to ignore it or skip onto another fic, but for those that take the time to read through, I would like to say thank you.

I take it that whoever is reading these words has read the entire story and for that, I offer a great thanks. If it wasn't for my reviewers and the people who followed I wouldn't have had the chapters posted in on a weekly basis. I love being able to read through your comments and see what to improve on so I will also give an extra thanks to the people who took the time to place their opinion.

You probably won't want to hear a soppy story about dedication and whatnot so I'll end it here with a huge and thunderous applause to those who enjoyed my story.

Cheers for everything,

MarvelAssassin.

(I would love it if you could comment whether or not you enjoyed my story or if you want to know anything extra. If you have any questions about the story or if you noticed that something didn't add up, just say in the comments or PM me.)


	36. Extra Chapter 1

It had been a year since the incident within the Oasis. I was away, living with Iroh now and our journey never seemed to end as I became his first lieutenant and sailed alongside him with the Navy. Understood, he never wanted me to return to the fighting, seeing me defeated like that, bruised and bloodied from the battles we had faced, it hurt him to remember and the subject itself is avoided whenever possible.

Now it was summer again, and my bending was only getting stronger, my spiritual connection being the best it ever has been.

"You ready to go?" Iroh rested his hand on my shoulder as we looked over the working crew of the ship.

"It should be me asking you that," I chuckled looking up to the sky as the clouds hovered above us. "Are you sure you want to meet them?"

"What could possibly go wrong," he smirked, leaning against the railing as I rested against him. "Parents love me."

We had finally decided that meeting the parents would be a good idea since I was curious about his own heritage and he was undoubtedly confused about my own.

I laughed as we neared the republic city docks. Ronny dashed around behind us as he prepared to take on the role of captain for a couple of weeks whilst Iroh was taking his first ever actual vacation.

"Boarding in five minutes!" Shou yelled from his post as more men began to bustle around the deck to set the preparations.

Republic City loomed above us as a giant bridge shielded the sun from our eyes whilst we travelled ever nearer. Iroh moved over to talk to Ronny about his duties whilst I went over to say my goodbyes to the rest of the crew. It wasn't long before we were ready and the two of us were able to make our way off of the ship and into the busy market of the biggest city in all the nations.

"Don't keep staring at that telescope you already own nine you don't need another!" I dragged the General by the hand through the stalls and yelling merchants as we moved into the direction of the spirit portal found in the centre of the city.

"But that ones matches my uniform!" He moaned, looking back at where it rested in its glass case.

"You have five that match your uniform, thee that compliment your shoes, and one that goes with your eyes so stop making excuses."

We reached the portal where two guards were stationed to prevent any trespassers from entering the spirit realm without permission. Like when I arrived, it would have been easier to use the vines to teleport myself straight past the security but sadly Iroh didn't possess that which meant going through the legal way.

"Two to pass through," I announced, allowing way for Iroh to present our passports and papers.

The two guards moved, opening the fence and allowing me to see the base of the bright beam that travelled so endlessly into the sky above us. It was bright and beautiful, just as I remembered every aspect of my home realm to be and gingerly I stepped forward.

Yuki, now a guard of the portal's entrance, greeted us as we left and she screamed to allow the gate to open. It was here that my excitement grew and I ran ahead, pulling Iroh with me as I made a dash to my home where my mother and father were surely waiting.

"Wait." Iroh stopped and pulled me near as he looked over to my old home. "I don't know if I can do this."

"Stop worrying," I said as I kissed his cheek and smiled. "Parents love you."

We stepped forward and my mother's face was the first thing that greeted me as she pressed my face together with her hands and started hugging me with full force.

"Mum! You're...crushing...me!"

"Sorry, dear." She stepped back and took in the sight of me. "It's just been so long I can't believe you're really here." Looking over to the man beside me and then back to me, she leaned in and whispered: "And with such a handsome man!"

I blushed bright red until my father walked in with the stride of a man with no fear to spare.

"You've grown, child." He nodded at me and I bowed down. "Care to introduce me?"

"Mother, father..." I moved and pulled Iroh forward. "This is General Iroh of the Firenation Navy, he has been waiting to meet with you."

Iroh's look of worry from earlier had vanished and being stood so close to my father I could see a faint sense of recognition between the two as they shook hands and bowed in respect.

"It is an honour and pleasure to meet with you, sir." Iroh returned to my side as my father tilted his head and smiled in response. "I have been waiting for some time now to meet with the two of you and would like to ask you something if you would allow."

"No need to such formalities, Iroh, call me Lu and this is my wife, Vallah. I will answer questions later, for now we must show you the village!" The stiff stature of my father was gone and instead he welcomed Iroh with open arms as he strode past and out of the door to the bright and quiet village ahead. "Come, come, there is a feast awaiting!"

That night we ate, drank and laughed as my mother and I caught up and we spoke of all the near people I had met on my journeys. Father and Iroh began to get along amazingly, sharing war stories and the hardships of working for the army whilst also bonding over their a love for the firenation.

At the end of the day, whilst we were waiting for night to arise and the long day to end, Iroh asked once more for the attention of my parents.

"Please, Lu, Vallah, thank you for today I must say it's been wonderful, though I still have something I would like to ask you."

"Of course," my mother replied, smiling as my father also nodded in agreement.

Iroh cleared his through and a slight pink tint appeared on his cheeks as he swallowed before speaking.

"I would... I would like to ask for permission to marry your daughter."

A stunned silence filled the living area as I just sat and stared at Iroh who was looking up at my father for the answer he had been waiting for all night. Mother looked at father and it was long before a smile filled her face and she joined Iroh in waiting for my father's reply. He looked down, studying the General before speaking.

"Iroh, I want you to answer me one question before I say anything else."

Iroh nodded once.

"To what lengths would you go for her?"

He stayed still, only moving his head to look at me then back to Lu Ten.

"I will do anything, even if that means putting myself in harms way. I will do absolutely anything."

I still stood shocked, staring at Iroh who wasn't taking his eyes off of the man holding all of the answers.

"Iroh, my father held his face and looked from me back to him. "Today you have shown yourself as a loyal and honourable man of which I show fondness towards. I could not have found a more suitable partner for my daughter and I hereby give you my complete blessing."

I didn't know what to say or do. I was just stood there, watching all of this take place whilst my mother was almost in tears of happiness. Iroh started to smile, thanking Lu for answering his dying question and it was here that one of the most memorable moments of my life occurred.

"Evelyn," Iroh pulled me up to stand and he got down on one knee. "Evelyn, it would be an honour, and a privilege," he pulled a small box out from his jacket pocket. "If you would agree to becoming my wife."

I held my hand over my mouth and looked down into his golden eyes as he pleaded for my hand in marriage. I felt like my heart was going to burst and I looked back down to the love of my life.

"I will." I smiled the biggest smile I could possibly manage. "I will marry you."


End file.
